Colleen O’Mara 02/12/2010 Small Object, Large Subject WSC 002 - Dr. Ethna Lay One Size Fits All Everyone has had to do this. Last minute gift shopping. You’re running late, have no idea what to buy. Knowing the feeling of procrastination, “why didn’t I do this earlier?”. You can now basically run into any store, go right to the register, and grab a gift card. No needing to know sizes, or what they like. According to Deloitte's Annual Holiday Survey, gift cards have been the most popular presents for six consecutive years, including 2009. Quick, easy, and mostly painless. Pretty much the everyday, average- Joe, American way. I say mostly painless because there is a somewhat evil side to gift cards that many do not realize. Gift cards have become a commonality among holiday gift giving festivities. But is it rude and impersonal? Or is it just part of the blunt truth that people would rather just go buy what they want instead of getting stuck with a lame present that someone went and picked out thinking they would like? We try to avoid any awkwardness at all costs. Not to be a Scrooge, but either way, I say don’t bother. Actually think it’s the opposite of Scrooge. It’s just like giving someone cash, except then going and limiting where they can use it, how they can use it, and then a deadline to use it by. How holiday-spirited is that? Some even have activation, insurance or maintenance fees that deduct money every month the card goes with money left on it. These are the cards usually from banks, the trustworthy institutions that they are. Corporate America. It’s all about tricks with them. Making something seem once way, while really it’s quite the opposite of what you think. At the heart of everything, wasting all that brainpower on schemes to give the consumer a hard time, while simultaneously making their lives easier. And yet, these are the most popular of the gift card genre, for they are widely accepted everywhere. They are literally banking on the fact that whoever receives this card will not use it in entirety. Even if there is a measly 33 cents left on the card, because many of them do not let you go over the limit or let you pay the difference, think of how many cards there are out there, sitting in a drawer somewhere, or like the Barnes and Noble one I just discovered I still have from Christmas, sitting on my dresser, staring at me, with similar meaningless amounts on them. Now that’s a lot of wasted change. (Oh, another benefit of gift cards; they’re light- weight!) Everywhere you go has it’s own specialized “money”. Gift cards can be bought for almost anything, from gas, to groceries, iTunes credits, and of course your Starbucks. And don’t forget; when you are running low on funds, the cards are even re- loadable. Some experts say that gift cards should be given to pay for everyday items, like groceries, morning coffee, the place one frequents for lunch. But are these special enough to be a gift? I mean, I’m sure it is lovely to not worry about paying for part of the weekly grocery-shopping trip, but as a gift? Apparently it is in the top three on the list of things Americans want to receive as gifts during the holidays, or really for any occasion. On top of that, it’s a waste of the gift- giver’s money. May gift cards may have a fee, which means instead of just paying for the monetary value of the card, they are also paying for the odd shaped piece of plastic itself. And that’s even before it’s received. Who is to say that it will even be used? It can’t be put in the bank. It is said that almost ten percent of the value on cards isn’t used. And that money can then be reclaimed buy the same store it was bought from. It’s basically like they are gambling on the consumers. The more gift cards that they can sell in a holiday season; the more likely they are to get their money back, ending up making them $8 billion richer according to Consumer Reports. Americans have been shuttling towards the most convenient and technologically hip venues when it comes to basically anything that costs money. But is it better? Just like basically any other tech-y advancement made, it gets less personal. Now do you not have to go and spend the time to go hand select a sweater (stereotypical holiday drag of a gift), but also get to pretend you avoided the lazy person’s gift of a card stuffed with cash. And you don’t even have to worry about wrapping it! There are different shapes and pictures and glitter and colors and even holograms on these little techno- gifts. There have even been talks of proper gift card- giving etiquette, for everything between baby showers, where as if a gift registry didn’t make life easy enough, to when I received a gift card for coffee from one of my friends for graduation. I don’t even drink coffee. He said I could spend it on him. (One good thing about gift cards is that they are so impersonal, that they make re- gifting easy). Guess where that one ended up. So, basically, what’s the point? Are you trying to buy a gift that inevitably will be a waste? Because there are so many other things the money can be spent on, rather than just another place holder in a wallet or an expensive bookmark. Why even bother going to the store? I know that they say it’s the thought that counts, but this really doesn’t even require any thought. So, save your time. I’ll take the cash.

Colleen O’Mara 02/12/2010 Small Object, Large Subject WSC 002 - Dr. Ethna Lay One Size Fits All Everyone has had to do some last minute gift shopping. Knowing the feeling of procrastination, “why didn’t I do this earlier?” and having no idea what to buy. But there is a solution! You can now basically run into any store, go right to the register, and grab a gift card. No needing to know sizes, or what they like. According to Deloitte's Annual Holiday Survey, gift cards have been the most popular presents for six consecutive years, including 2009. Quick, easy, and mostly painless. Pretty much the everyday, average- Joe, American way. I say mostly painless because there is a somewhat evil side to gift cards that many do not realize. Gift cards have become a commonality among holiday gift giving festivities. But is it rude and impersonal, like when you just open a birthday card and sign it? Or is it just part of the blunt truth that people would rather just go buy what they want instead of getting stuck with a lame present that someone went and picked out thinking they would like? We try to avoid any awkwardness at all costs. Not to be a Scrooge, but either way, I say don’t bother. I actually think it’s the opposite of Scrooge. Giving cash has some history behind it, and has already been accepted in society and can comfortably be labeled as a cop-out gift. Gift cards are not so simply labeled. It’s just like giving someone cash, except then going and limiting where they can use it, how they can use it, and then a deadline to use it by. How holiday-spirited is that? Some even have activation, insurance or maintenance fees that deduct money every month the card goes with money left on it. These are the cards usually from banks, the trustworthy institutions that they are. Corporate America. It’s all about tricks with them. Making something seem once way, while really it’s quite the opposite of what you think. At the heart of everything, wasting all that brainpower on schemes to give the consumer a hard time, while simultaneously making their lives easier. And yet, these are the most popular of the gift card genre, for they are widely accepted everywhere. They are literally banking on the fact that whoever receives this card will not use it in entirety. Even if there is a measly 33 cents left on the card, because many of them do not let you go over the limit or let you pay the difference, think of how many cards there are out there, sitting in a drawer somewhere, or like the Barnes and Noble one I just discovered I still have from Christmas, sitting on my dresser, staring at me, with similar meaningless amounts on them. Now that’s a lot of wasted change. Everywhere you go has it’s own specialized “money”. Gift cards can be bought for almost anything, from gas, to groceries, iTunes credits, and of course your Starbucks. And don’t forget; when you are running low on funds, the cards are even re- loadable. Some experts say that gift cards should be given to pay for everyday items, like groceries, morning coffee, the place one frequents for lunch. But are these special enough to be a gift? I mean, I’m sure it is lovely to not worry about paying for part of the weekly grocery-shopping trip, but as a gift? Apparently it is in the top three on the list of things Americans want to receive as gifts during the holidays, or really for any occasion. On top of that, it’s a waste of the gift- giver’s money. May gift cards may have a fee, which means instead of just paying for the monetary value of the card, they are also paying for the odd shaped piece of plastic itself. And that’s even before it’s received. Who is to say that it will even be used? It can’t be put in the bank. It is said that almost ten percent of the value on cards isn’t used. And that money can then be reclaimed buy the same store it was bought from. It’s basically like they are gambling on the consumers. The more gift cards that they can sell in a holiday season; the more likely they are to get their money back, ending up making them $8 billion richer according to Consumer Reports. Americans have been shuttling towards the most convenient and technologically hip venues when it comes to basically anything that costs money. But is it better? Just like basically any other tech-y advancement made, it gets less personal. Now do you not have to go and spend the time to go hand select a sweater (stereotypical holiday drag of a gift), but also get to pretend you avoided the lazy person’s gift of a card stuffed with cash. And you don’t even have to worry about wrapping it! There are different shapes and pictures and glitter and colors and even holograms on these little techno- gifts. There have even been talks of proper gift card- giving etiquette, for everything between baby showers, where as if a gift registry didn’t make life easy enough, to when I received a gift card for coffee from one of my friends for graduation. I don’t even drink coffee. He said I could spend it on him. (One good thing about gift cards is that they are so impersonal, that they make re- gifting easy). Guess where that one ended up. So, basically, what’s the point? Are you trying to buy a gift that inevitably will be a waste? Because there are so many other things the money can be spent on, rather than just another placeholder in a wallet or an expensive bookmark. Why even bother going to the store? I know that they say it’s the thought that counts, but this really doesn’t even require any thought. So, save your time. I’ll take the cash. Re-write 2/26/09