Past Their Use-By Dates!

They arrive to us every birthday, Christmas, or anniversaries. Those clever advertising gimmicks known as gift cards. The present you receive when you haven’t really received a present! It’s time to look these gift (cards) in the mouth!

Millions of dollars worth of this advertising medium are never redeemed. A windfall for business, a marketing coup! Thousands of cards expire every year under laughably short use-by dates. Why do gift cards HAVE use-by dates? Recipients are caught unaware. Touted as more personal and safer than cash to post, these little advertising tokens traverse the country within well-meaning cards, but are just as easily stolen, and whereas the intended recipient loses, the business does not!  Nothing to lose….for the seller!  The card can still only be spent at the company it advertises, and doesn’t care who spends it!  The “gift” seems to be for the company that sold it, that so often does not even need to provide a good or service in return. Money for jam! Consumers need to to be more wary of the pitfalls.

Should the glory days of the gift card be past their use-by date?

About the author:

Jo

Tell us something about you