Quote:
Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
I believe this is illegal in some states. At least California.
I just used a gift certificate that expired five years ago at the Patagonia in SF. Not to worry Coltrane -- I bought capilene.
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I agree with Burger. I hate Gift Certificates but not as much as I hate their evil siblings, Gift Cards. They're money wasters, in a few ways: either they're for a store I don't like, or they are for a store I like, in which case I often end up spending more of my own money because the things I want cost more than the card is worth. Shopping does this to people -- it awakens material desires that in my view are usually better left sleeping.
Third, merchants push these suckers because they know that about 10-15% of the funds on gift cards will go unredeemed. Ok, that's fine, people waste resources all the time, the companies can go ahead and exploit that consumer behavior if they want. But then they will really stick it to you up the ass by requiring you to pay a fee if you want to to "reactivate" a card that you didn't use within a year or two or whatever the fucking arbitrary deadline is.
That's why I give (and love to receive) Amex gift checks or cash. It's not as if the gift certificate is any less clear about what you decided to spend on the gift and even though you don't get the "I know you like this store" thoughtfulness factor, we all know that in the right circumstances, cash can be the most thoughtful gift of all.
