Gift Certificates

Dont get me wrong, I love when people give me gift certificates....I love when people give me anything, in fact. Being given 'free money' to go to a restaurant, etc is always enjoyed by yours truly. But, thinking about things as I always do, I began to consider how gift certificates might be one of the most 'American' of all gifts--fulfilling the stereotypes of our laziness and need to control, control, control.....

(by the way, I love her.....)

In addition, gift certificate makers have even met the lazy-gift-givers 90% of the way there; now, one does not even need to go to CVS or online to itunes or to JCPenny or the Gap--Hannaford, our local supermarket, sells probably fifty different types of gift cards from a wide array of places....they have made it possible for gift certificates to be even LESS of an effort for people to get....

Now I know I will never get any gift certificates for the rest of my life for saying this, but that is okay...haha....

Gift certificates create an 'illusion' of generosity on behalf of the gift "giver" in that they appear to be a selfless gesture--"here....go get a nice meal...its on me...."

But, consider this: The gift certificate is a CONTROLLING gift....you are restricted....you have to go where the gift giver 'tells' you to go....in this sense, the gift giver gets the "last laugh;" therefore, it is a symbiotic gift in that it is a gift for the receiver (they get a free meal) and the gift giver (they get to make their recipient suffer--if they want). A gift certificate could be a fantastic "HAHA!!" gift in that I could purposely give a gift card to a place I KNOW the receiver dislikes.....

However, it could backfire too: If I gave my dad a gift card to a restaurant he hates, he could simply throw it away, thus HE would have the last laugh, as I just had my hard earned money 'wasted.' As I said--they are the ultimate symbiotic gift....

Why dont people who give gift certificates simply give "cash" instead? That way, people could do whatever they want! Is it a GUILT thing in that they know they are giving a 'lazy' gift anyway and they want to gild that 'just a bit' by creating the illusion of thoughtfulness?  Or, is it that American need and desire to control outcomes, and WE want to decide where the person eats, shops. etc...

Much like the platitudes we give each other every single day ("oh, let me know if there is anything I can do"....."we will be keeping you in our prayers"....."we totally should get together soon; I will give you a call"....and everything else you can think of), I would argue that gift certificates are just old fashioned "veiled generosity."

By the way: I love Mei Dream, Cancun, and Ming Lee. In case you are wondering :)