| | I am one of the most difficult people for whom you will ever do "gift shopping."
With my birthday coming up on July 9th, I have begun receiving the inevitable inquiries as to the contents of my "wish list." To be honest, I haven't been able to generate a real wish list for several years now. Add to that my distaste for gift cards and you have a recipe for gift-giving disaster.
First, the whole wish list thing. You see, before I buy anything of significant value or importance, I always do an inordinate amount of research to determine that what I am buying will fit my lifestyle better than any other available product. For instance, I would never buy a top-of-the-line computer video card because I need one with a VGA output. I could never put a video card on my wish list because I'd be terrified of getting the wrong one, and then dealing with the hassle of returning/exchanging it without a receipt.
Second, I am opposed to Gift Cards as a matter of principle. You see, stores that issue gift cards are earning interest income on the balance of the card during the time between when you purchase the gift card for me and when I finally make it to the store to do my shopping. Sometimes that time can be up to six months or more! Furthermore, some companies actually begin depleting the value of the card over time if it goes unused, meaning that if I find a 3-year-old gift card that I never got around to using, it may have only half of its original balance on the card. That's ridiculous!
So obviously, nobody will ever be able to get a straight answer out of me if they ask me what they can buy me as a gift, and my gratitude for a gift card will always be marred by the fact that it's a scheme on the part of the retailer. There is, however, one little redeeming fact:
Some of the best gifts I have ever received consisted of little more than a home-cooked meal and a good friend or two.
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| | Posted 7/2/2008 2:03 PM - 65 Views - 4 eProps - 3 comments
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