Why Gift Cards Don't Make Sense

By Author: Boon Space
Total Articles: 65
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Don't you hate shopping for gifts? You start off with every intention of finding your friend/family member the perfect present. You set off enthusiastically around the shops expecting to find something they will absolutely love within moments...then you hit the wall. Suddenly the task becomes terribly uninteresting and something else becomes much more important. You end up saying to yourself, ‘Ah, I'll just get them a gift card, then they can choose for themselves...'

The only problem is that you will probably choose the complete wrong shop from which to purchase said gift card (Think about some of the gift cards you have received in the past). The recipient will smile and say ‘Thank You, I'll look forward to spending this!' but what they will really be thinking is ‘Well, that's going to be a waste! Thanks for nothing.'
It's a problem we face particularly in the western countries of the world - we find it very socially awkward to give cash as a gift from adult to adult. It's a culturally accepted norm for any gift given to have lots of thought put behind it, and for some reason we think that ...
... giving loved ones a gift voucher for a generic department store involves much more thought than a crisp bundle of cash.

Of course, in practical terms cash is a much more well received gift than a gift card - think about which you would rather receive! You can spend it in any shop you like, it doesn't unexpectedly expire and the shop assistant won't look at you with a blank expression when you ask for your change.

What we really need to do is find time to put some actual thought into giving cash, because we all know the best gifts are the ones we purchase for ourselves. As ever, the Internet appears to have come up with the solution. BoonSpace allows you to send money to anyone with an e-mail address (does anyone not have an e-mail address now?) from anywhere in the world. Big deal you might think. However, what BoonSpace allows you to do that other methods don't is make the money personal - isn't this what we've all really been looking for all these years?

The site lets you record a video to go along with your cash, and record an audio message for the lucky recipient (if, like me you don't want to see yourself on video). You can also make them a nice e-card with your own message inside. Personally I love the idea - you don't even have to get out of your seat to send it. The recipient receives a gift they love (and some cash) and you haven't had to move an inch. Perfect.

We all lead busy lives nowadays and gift shopping is just another one of those things that seems to frustrate and annoy us several times per year. I love the idea that now we are even making the gift giving process easier. What a time to live in.