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I have to admit that I am one of those members of the female group who hate shopping. I absolutely detest going inside a store with a store clerk right behind your heels pretending to be helpful when they are not. I feel as if they are ready to jump on me and call the mall security force the minute I lay a hand on one of the items on display. With Christmas just around the bend, I know that my activities in the next few months would have to involve going around the mall looking for presents to family and friends. Lately, I have seen a lot of advertisement materials about gift cards at the mall and I have to say I am almost tempted to buy those things and move on with the holidays without sweating on what to get for my favorite aunt and my favorite cousin and my best buddy at work. I have always felt queasy about giving gift cards as presents. It just seems too impersonal and does not feel quite right especially on Christmas. However, gift cards seems to be the most practical solution not only for people like me who hate shopping but also for those who have no idea what the recipient would like to receive that year. A gift card is a restricted monetary equivalent issued by shop owners, department stores and even banks. Lately, it has become very popluar and is even the second most given gift in the United States. It is the most wanted gift for women and the third most wanted gift for men. The first advertisement for gift cards was on the editorial page of The Eugene Daily Guard in Eugene, Oregon published on December 5, 1916. It urged people who wanted to give gloves as a gift to buy gift cards instead so that the recipient can “cash it in” and choose the gloves she wants. According to my research that was the first clear illustration of how gift cards work. But how does a gift card really work? There are two types of gift cards: the “open loop” which is used mostly by banks and credit cards and the “closed loop” which are used by establishments like malls, department stores, grocery stores and some restaurants. The idea of a gift card, is that the giver would buy the gift cards and the recipients would use the cards at a later date to make their own purchases. A gift card usually looks like a credit card and may have a barcode or a magnetic strip where an electronic machine reads certain information tied up to the card such as the amount of the card. The value of the card may not be written on the card itself but is encrypted into the barcode or magnetic strip. However, there are some cards that may have a set value and can only be activated by calling a certain number. To date, with the advancement of technology and with the advent of mobile devices, gift cards can be delivered to your recipients to their mobile phones via SMS or short messaging system. There is also what is known as virtual gift cards which are sent via email. I still believe that giving away gift cards to family and friends is too impersonal for my taste and style. I read that some companies are solving this issue of impersonality by coming up with customized and personalized gift cards. I may consider this but honestly I still feel it’s still impersonal. Nothing beats getting a well-thought of gift and I would probably feel bad if I just get a gift card from one of my family members and friends. So I guess I have no choice but to include converting myself into a mall rat once a week until Christmas to find well-thought of gifts for my loved ones. After all, this is only once a year and going to the mall allows me to walk for miles without even knowing that I have lost hundreds of calories in preparation for the Christmas feast. Visit Paper Mill Direct to know more about Paper.
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