We get it: when the holidays roll around and you're racking your brain for what to give to different people, it can get overwhelming. So instead of pinning down a specific thing each person on your list might want, why not just make it easier on yourself and give everyone a gift card?
As you'll see, though, gift cards aren't the best present to give. In fact, you're better off not gifting anything at all at that point. Read on to find out why—it might just change your perspective.
Impersonal and Not Memorable
The first—and most obvious—reason why you shouldn't give gift cards is because they're impersonal. They're not memorable at all. No one is going to come up to you afterward and say, "Thank you so much for the gift card. I really wanted it."
Sure, if you're on a time crunch or picking a present for a coworker or someone you don't know well, a gift card might seem like the safest choice. But when you're choosing a gift for a close friend or loved one, gift cards scream "no effort." They'll immediately assume you put little to no thought into it, and that they didn't matter enough to you to choose something more meaningful.
Hard to Pick One Place
Plus, there's the added challenge of picking a store that actually matches the person's interests. You don't want to grab a generic gift card—that would really scream "lazy"—but you also don't want to buy a dozen different cards and split them into smaller amounts. That would feel pretty tasteless, too.
So, what do you do? What happens if you choose the right store, but there's nothing the person wants from it at the moment? What happens if you choose a place you thought the person liked, but they don't shop there anymore?
Lots of Better Thoughtful Gift Ideas
There's really no excuse. If you're going to gift someone anything, there are countless better ideas than a gift card. Most people would appreciate a handmade card more than a measly $20 to buy two drinks at Starbucks. Even if you're not sure what's on someone's wishlist, the least you can do is choose something in the ballpark that's related to their hobbies, interests, or personality.
Gift cards also tend to make people spend more money than they intended. It might be your money on the card, but if the balance doesn't cover the full price of what they want, the receiver will have to dig into their own pockets. Plus, even if the gift card is enough for the total, what should people do with the remaining, non-refundable sums on the card? More often than not, those leftover amounts end up forgotten and unused.
This holiday season, make your gift count. Level up from the gift card. There are far more thoughtful, personal options out there that will actually make others happy, so for their sake, don't just take the easy way out.
