WARNING! Your gift cards may be worthless!

[Gerry]

Forwarded to me from my brother.

Good to know if you are holding on to any gift cards.

This may not be the year to give or receive gifts cards:

Watch those store money cards, gift cards, gift certificates, store credits, and credit slips! Stores that informed the Security Exchange of closing plans between October 2008 and January 2009.

Circuit City stores... most recent (? how many)

Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide

Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 store nationwide

Eddie Bauer to close 27 stores and more after January

Cache will close all stores

Talbots closing down all stores

J. Jill closing all stores

GAP closing 85 stores

Footlocker closing 140 stores, more to close after January

Wickes Furniture closing down

Levitz closing down remaining stores

Bombay closing remaining stores

Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January.

Whitehall closing all stores

Piercing Pagoda closing all stores

Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.

Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ (New Brunswick)

Macys to close 9 stores after January

Linens and Things closing all stores

Movie Galley Closing all stores

Pacific Sunware closing stores

Pep Boys Closing 33 stores

Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores

JC Penney closing a number of stores after January

Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.

Wilson Leather closing down all stores

Sharper Image closing down all stores

K B Toys closing 356 stores

Loews to close down some stores

Dillard's to close some stores.

[draggar]

Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores

This is from earlier this year, not 133 more stores. In my area 3 were closed. 2 had another store less than a mile away (one pair was in the same mall) and another is moving to a new location.

[Gerry]

This is from earlier this year, not 133 more stores. In my area 3 were closed. 2 had another store less than a mile away (one pair was in the same mall) and another is moving to a new location.

I recall KB Toys announcement coming earlier in the year.

I guess the key is "Stores that informed the Security Exchange of closing plans between October 2008 and January 2009." being the SEC. Guess it is one thing to announce vs. the actual performance.

[Tia Wood]

This may not be the year to give or receive gifts cards:

[start_rant]

Good!! I have a pet peeve with gift cards. I view them as a lazy way for people to go out and buy "gifts". It has meaning when someone goes out and puts thought into a gift. You can't get that with a fn gift card. I go to kid's birthday parties and they get ready to open their presents. 95% is freakin gift cards. Yes, it does provide a way for the kids/person to get what they want. But so unthoughtful, impersonal and doesn't hold any sentimental value.

Goodbye Gift Cards! Hello gifts with meaning.

[end_rant]

[jasdon11]

[start_rant]

Good!! I have a pet peeve with gift cards. I view them as a lazy way for people to go out and buy "gifts". It has meaning when someone goes out and puts thought into a gift. You can't get that with a fn gift card. I go to kid's birthday parties and they get ready to open their presents. 95% is freakin gift cards. Yes, it does provide a way for the kids/person to get what they want. But so unthoughtful, impersonal and doesn't hold any sentimental value.

Goodbye Gift Cards! Hello gifts with meaning.

[end_rant]

Here here!!

[HomerJ]

that home depot in new brunswick sucked. actually east brunswick. they should have closed it years ago.

[DomainsInc]

[start_rant]

Good!! I have a pet peeve with gift cards. I view them as a lazy way for people to go out and buy "gifts". It has meaning when someone goes out and puts thought into a gift. You can't get that with a fn gift card. I go to kid's birthday parties and they get ready to open their presents. 95% is freakin gift cards. Yes, it does provide a way for the kids/person to get what they want. But so unthoughtful, impersonal and doesn't hold any sentimental value.

Goodbye Gift Cards! Hello gifts with meaning.

[end_rant]

gift cards are a good gift for those whom you don't really know. I don't want to waste my money on something they hate/don't want/already have.

[stewie]

I like giftcards, but there's a risk.. but in today's economy maybe giftcards will hold their value more then cash $$$ LOL j/k

[Donald Aquilano]

[start_rant]

Good!! I have a pet peeve with gift cards. I view them as a lazy way for people to go out and buy "gifts". It has meaning when someone goes out and puts thought into a gift. You can't get that with a fn gift card. I go to kid's birthday parties and they get ready to open their presents. 95% is freakin gift cards. Yes, it does provide a way for the kids/person to get what they want. But so unthoughtful, impersonal and doesn't hold any sentimental value.

Goodbye Gift Cards! Hello gifts with meaning.

[end_rant]

You're as bad as my sister sometimes. B***h and complain all you want but gift cards are always the right color and size!!!

[Tia Wood]

You're as bad as my sister sometimes. B***h and complain all you want but gift cards are always the right color and size!!!

You can't put memories on a gift card.

[Raider]

You can't put memories on a gift card.

I understand your point on Gift cards, I kinda feel the same way... But I think it depends on who your buying the gift card for, If Johnny wants Music CD's for his birthday and I have no clue what Rock bands he likes or if he already has them, It's better I give him a gift card so he buy the ones he wants.

But most of time, I buy Gifts and always include a gift receipt, so they can return or exchange it for something they want better. The easiest gifts to buy are for my Girlfriends because I know what they like and what they want, The guys are another story.

I think the most memorable gifts are the ones that are handmade or personally inscribed.... Those, we tend to cherish forever.

[HarveyJ]

If you don't know someone all that well, gift cards are still a terrible idea.
They're as thoughtless as cash, with the added bonus that they limit the purchase to a particular store, and some of them even expire.

If you don't know someone that well, it's not hard to actually get them something that they'll still enjoy. You generally know something about a person.
If they're overage, and not tee-totallers, everyone likes a bottle of nice wine.
If they're kids and into music, get them a set of quality earbuds from Skullcandy or something. I bet you no one else has thought to get them something better than the crappy 6ohm resistant Phillips wite earbuds that came with their iPod which is actually doing damage to their ears.

And if you really don't know them, there are certain things that people just like.
I bulk bought USB Plasma balls as my "corporate gift" this year for all the people I do business with but don't really know. I have received emails back from everyone I sent them to saying how awesome they were, how much they liked them, how they can't beleive they'd never gotten themselves one before, etc.

It's really not hard if you just stop and think for a second.

Hell, you're all domainers: http://www.thinkgeek.com/clearance/
I just saved Christmas for you.

[draggar]

I don't mind gift cards, in fact, I tell people I like gift cards and I tell them what stores (well, I give 2-5 stores and the reasoning behind each one - Target for practical things, Best Buy for fun stuff).

It's nice because I usually have $200-$250 I can spend at Best Buy, $100-$150 at Target, and usualy $50-$10 at Home Depot.

I also live 1500 miles away from the rest of my family so a gift card ships cheaply (usually a stamp including the card), so they're also practical for my family and myself.

HarveyJ - that's one of my favorite online stores.

[Gerry]

Gift cards and gift certificates are appropriate in many situations.

My mother was hospitalized and required 5 bypass at the age of 81. One of the saving graces was my sister's sister-in-law worked in that hospital and knew all the docs and staff having been a nurse on the cardiac unit for years.

There were complications after the surgery as to be expected with someone this age which lengthened her stay. Eventually my mother did fantastic and was discharged.

Anne worked tirelessly everyday to make sure that every need was met and that my entire family was taken care of and visited every day even though she was no longer working in that unit and even her days off. Any time my mother had to go to that city for testing, Anne always called or visited to check on her.

Prior to arriving in that city, she got a list of nearby nice hotels that gave discounts to family members that had family in the hospital. In addition, Anne made sure that we had parking passes as it was obvious we were going to be there a while.

Anne always was close to my mother even as a snot-nosed bratty kid of my sister's boy friend. At the time they did not live far and hung out at our the house sometimes after school. Seriously, I remember her when she was about 10 or 11.

Anne's best friend, Amanda, still worked on the unit. It wasn't me or the family but this girl was genuinely nice, professional, witty, and caring. Everyone who knew Amanda said this about her.

This was a nearly 10 hour drive away from me. I wanted to get a gift for these girls. I called my sister who related that they and their husbands usually get together to dine out. I asked where they liked to go. It was an expensive place that they liked but did not get to go often.

I called the restaurant and arranged to have a great bouquet of flowers delivered to Anne with a $250.00 gift certificate attached. The restaurant took care of all of this. The arrangement was delivered to Anne in the unit she was working in while she was at work. From all accounts, it was quite an arrangement and made everyone there take notice of Anne's "secret admirer".

I assure you that after the floral arrangement was delivered, based on the tone of the voice on the other end, there was complete shock and joy and an unexpected gift for her and Amanda.

So sometimes, if planned and done right, gift cards and gift certificates can make a huge lasting impression and a very welcomed gift.

If thought is put into it rather than thoughtlessness of sending something in an envelope, it can have every bit of impact and meaning as a high dollar gift.

Especially when it is a total surprise.