It’s the Gift Certificate That Keeps on Giving
The entire globe is going electronic, but who would think the little gift certificate would fall next? Stores from the Gap and Chanel to Tower Records and Macy’s now have what are being termed EGCs, or electronic gift certificates.
With the look of a credit card, many stores prefer to use these plastic certificates instead of the old paper ones because they are indestructible and replaceable. The gift certificates can easily be reloaded for more “credit” when the “gift” runs out, giving new meaning to the phrase “the gift that keeps on giving.”
They are also a snappy advertising tool for retailers. For example, to create a GapCard, simply drop by any Gap store, pick an image from the latest catalog, load the card with the gift amount, and presto! You’ve got yourself a fine little gift for someone who enjoys the thrill of using plastic. While there is convenience for both customer and retailer, what worries some consumer advocate groups is the effect on kids--whether youngsters are being primed to pump plastic.
“It’s appalling that children are being encouraged [with these cards] to buy into our country’s possession obsession with yet another gimmick,” says Carole Holst, program director of Glendale-based Seeds of Simplicity, a nonprofit educational and advocacy program at Cornell University Institute. Seeds of Simplicity is currently the only organization in the voluntary simplicity field, which promotes de-emphasis on material possessions.
“Certainly these companies want kids to spend, and introducing children to the world of plop-plastic-down-and-take-your-goodies-out is a savvy business concept,” Holst says. “I wouldn’t let my kids use them.”
A Gap company spokesperson says the electronic cards are merely a high-tech gift with more convenience for adults, particularly men who tend to like the idea of giving charge-like cards as a gift.
How many companies will curry the electronic gift card and how many children will use them has yet to be determined. But one thing’s for sure: Where there’s a wallet, there’s a way.
