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Gift cards are about signaling. People are very brand loyal. Cash isn't brand loyal despite its flexibility. Cash and a card to say "buy books" feels less perso

Gift cards are about signaling. People are very brand loyal. Cash isn't brand loyal despite its flexibility. Cash and a card to say "buy books" feels less personal than a B&N card for some reason. There is the other part where the gift card is reserved money. Cash gets put into a pocket and spent on gas. A gift card is reserved and people feel anticipation of what they could go buy on their next trip. There is also the open moment when people feel like "Target gift card, I love Target!!!" Also, do you mean the religious holiday that the church moved to the winter solstice because they couldn't get people to stop celebrating the solstice? Also, in the bible story of Christ, gift giving is the primary plot. A gift from God to save the sinners. You also have the Magi who travel far to bring gifts for Jesus. Gift giving is different than all-consuming commercialism and that has a bigger cause in our advertising controlled economy.

Symbiote 5y ago
> A gift card is reserved and people feel anticipation of what they could go buy on their next trip. Growing up in England, my aunt occasionally managed this with cash. She would give me Scottish banknotes at Christmas, which look different, but can be spent without much difficulty almost anywhere in Britain. (The aunt lives in England, so acquiring the Scottish banknotes probably took some effort.)
- truculent 5y ago
  What a lovely idea.
- madcaptenor 5y ago
  The US equivalent of this, I think, would be giving two-dollar bills. They exist and are legal tender but are rarely seen.
  - toast0 5y ago
    I heartily recommend ordering $2 bills from wherever you do your banking. It's way more amusing than it should be to flip through a strap of bills. Even if it's only $200.
  - gunshai 5y ago
    TYL there is a strip club in portland that denomates in two dollar bills. It also happens to be "Vegan"
adrianmonk 5y ago
> reserved money Right, which can make it function a "real" gift because one type of gift is the thing that the recipient wouldn't splurge on for themselves. Maybe they'd enjoy a meal at a fancy restaurant but they're also frugal and wouldn't actually go. A gift card to the fancy restaurant means they'll probably go there and treat themselves courtesy of you.

Symbiote 5y ago

> A gift card is reserved and people feel anticipation of what they could go buy on their next trip. Growing up in England, my aunt occasionally managed this with cash. She would give me Scottish banknotes at Christmas, which look different, but can be spent without much difficulty almost anywhere in Britain. (The aunt lives in England, so acquiring the Scottish banknotes probably took some effort.)

truculent 5y ago
What a lovely idea.
madcaptenor 5y ago
The US equivalent of this, I think, would be giving two-dollar bills. They exist and are legal tender but are rarely seen.
- toast0 5y ago
  I heartily recommend ordering $2 bills from wherever you do your banking. It's way more amusing than it should be to flip through a strap of bills. Even if it's only $200.
- gunshai 5y ago
  TYL there is a strip club in portland that denomates in two dollar bills. It also happens to be "Vegan"

adrianmonk 5y ago

> reserved money Right, which can make it function a "real" gift because one type of gift is the thing that the recipient wouldn't splurge on for themselves. Maybe they'd enjoy a meal at a fancy restaurant but they're also frugal and wouldn't actually go. A gift card to the fancy restaurant means they'll probably go there and treat themselves courtesy of you.