DON'T LOOK A GIFT PIG IN THE MOUTH
'Tis the season-- to wonder what to give to people to whom you’ve given gifts for years. I’ve tried several strategies to make sure that I’m on the right track.Related reading-- REBATE CARDS—FIGURING OUT THE PUZZLE in THE CONSUMER PLAYBOOKRule # 1 —Give a gift that the recipient will like, not just something you like. You may like the purple scarf with orange polka dots, but would Aunt Gertrude, your less adventurous aunt, really wear it with her more conservative wardrobe? Or maybe it would open a new world of options for her. Perhaps you should be an innovative gifter—you could have a back up gift and give her a choice. Either way, think about it before buying.
Rule # 2— Make a recipient list and write down what you give each year. I haven’t started following that rule yet. I rely on memory, but it’s getting a bit dicey. This may be the year to start the list—my memory isn’t what it used to be.
Rule # 3— Look for gifts throughout the year. If you can find things that specific people will like when you’re not under pressure, and put them away until gift time, it makes gift giving easier. The problem here is that I sometimes put them away and forget that I bought them. But, I’m getting more organized. Howard and I cleaned out The Museum of Gifts, Empty Gift Boxes and Wrapping Paper. A fraction of that closet yielded an unimagineable amount of trash, but also some presents that I had put away. Now, I’ll make a smaller gift reservoir and hopefully I'll know what's there.
But what do you do when you run out of gift ideas? While I prefer something that I pick out so that I maintain that personal touch, I’ve started to give gift cards. Everyone likes a gift card. Amazon is so easy. But I really don’t like to contribute to the death of retail. (Actually, I see Amazon in science fiction terms. The alien invader who destroys everything around him then swoops in and takes over what he’s destroyed, leaving devastation and a giant footprint in his wake. Meaning that Amazon has been impinging on retail, but they’re now moving into retail business. I predict that before I die, they’ll take over the world.) So, that leads me to Visa— a gift that can be used online, but also in the real world. (I know—I’m a dinosaur; maybe “the real world” is just my “real world”. It’s not that I don’t go online, but I’d like to think that some things still exist outside of cyberspace.)
Back to gift cards--A word of caution about Visa gift cards. When I bought a few of them recently, the salesperson told me that there is a $2.95 monthly charge after 12 months of inactivity.
"What does that cover?" I asked. "I don’t know", the salesperson replied.
I called the phone number on the card. I think that I tortured the poor representative who had the misfortune to take my call. When I asked what service the fee covered, she explained that it was an inactivity fee. I told her that I’m aware of that. “But what service is rendered?” Brief silence, then a repeated “it’s an inactivity fee.”
Okay—I’ll help her out—“Does someone come to my house and dust it?” No.
“Does someone come to my house and organize the drawer where I keep it, or maybe put a bow on it to remind me that it’s there?” No.
Struggling, she said that Visa keeps track of my money. “Isn’t that an online system that doesn’t require a charge?” Silence.
“Does a little man sit there and look at accounts and note who has a balance or call to remind them that they should use the card?” No.
“Okay—Visa charges a fee because they can?” Silence.
Now, it was time to give the ultimate gift— I gave the rep the gift of end of interrogation and thanked her and wished her a happy holiday. It was the least I could do—she works for a pig company (at least for this service) and isn’t making the rules.
Don’t forget to use your gift cards or the gift pig will run off with your money.