Why do people still give gift vouchers?

[Onlyjoinedforthisthread]

HMV are about to appoint administrators so anyone with their gift vouchers will lose their mobey.

Others will follow and the ones that can be spent at any shop aren't safe either they are only valid for as long as the issuer is in business.

Go and spend them today.

Because people feel pressured to buy someone something for Xmas when the recipient in all honesty has all they need anyway but yet you still feel the pressure to at least get them something simply because it's Christmas

If that's the case give cash, at least it still has a value 2 weeks after Christmas

I got given some house of Fraser vouchers from my lovely great aunt. She obviously had had them for some time and doesn't know what's happened. I don't care though, and will tell her I treated myself tho something lovely as she obviously wanted me to.

But, you're right, giving vouchers does seem a risk these days.

I don’t mind gift vouchers for shops I use, like amazon or ASOS. Why anyone would give a hmv voucher is beyond me. I didn’t even know hmv was still open tbh, everything they sell exists for much cheaper or even free on the Internet.

I buy gift vouchers for family because they can buy more in the sales and I find cash impersonal- at least with gift cards I can buy one for the shops they use. Where I can I buy a gift voucher related to the shopping centre they use e.g Bluewater gift card. They have choice and it’s not like the entire centre is going to fold at once

Seastar- house of Fraser still exists online and in some places though, doesn't it? It hasn’t completely gone?

My kids got some vouchers and absolutely LOVED spending them on whatever they had chosen. For a kid it’s a treat, IMO.

People give gift vouchers because giving cash is seen by some as rude and impersonal (not by me!)
Also the advantage of a gift card is that they have to buy something with it rather than the money getting sucked into normal living expenses.

I have a nice stack of John Lewis vouchers which were given as Christmas gifts. I’m v happy with them, though not sure what I will buy.

BrutusMcDogface

Yes house of Fraser exist but if the vouchers were bought before they went into administration they aren't worth the paper they are writen on.

Same with blue water ones, it isn't the individual shops that have to close but the company who issues them, they issue a wide ranging one as it appears safer to the buyer, it's a marketing tool

Insolvencies aside I'd rather have a voucher than cash as i will spend it on myself rather than it being absorbed into household money

I only give them to people who ask for them as their gift.

I love John Lewis vouchers. I get to choose something lovely instead of paying for DD1's school lunches with the gift. Makes a difference here when there isn't much spare money around for treats.

I like vouchers as it means I buy something, not just fritter the cash away.

The kids got 'all for one' vouchers I think they were called that can be used in loads of stores. They loved getting them and spending them yesterday.

It wouldn't cross my mind to by a voucher for HMV though. The business model just doesn't work anymore. I never by music, I have amazon music so no need.

"Seastar- house of Fraser still exists online and in some places though, doesn't it?"

We still have one in Sheffield

I'm afraid I'm another miseryguts that would prefer cash. Spending them requires so much extra effort. My teen kids this year got some for Argos and one4all(slightly better...). Generous amounts too but I'll probably end up buying them off them so they can spend it in obscure online shops to do with their personal interests, or Tiger and similar. They're not into clothes or cosmetics so spending is less straightforward. Previous years we struggled with WHSmith vouchers, though at least they sell books and the one near us had a reasonable selection.

My elderly mother buys gift vouchers because she is house bound and can't go shopping to choose gifts. And she was raised to think its incredibly rude to give (or even worse, ask for) cash.

But I do make an effort, and encourage my children to, spend them very quickly. Just to be safer.

Some people don’t like giving cash because they feel that it could get wasted on day to day nonsense.

My Nan prefers to give vouchers because she thinks it looks like she’s made more of an effort. She was conflicted this year until I told her that we didn’t see cash as a cop out.

I hate, hate gift vouchers. They tie you to buying something from a particular store (and it could be cheaper elsewhere, so it feels like a bloody waste of money), you usually can't stack them with discount codes (so definitely a waste of money), you lose the balance (that doesn't go back to the recipient, it goes to the company) and there is the inherent risk of the company folding (again, waste of money).

Gift vouchers not only say "I had no idea what to get you" but "I don't know you well enough to know you hate wasting money so really, I don't know you at all."

I would honestly rather have a token consumable (e.g. box of chocolates - it will get eaten, if not by me, I'll find it a home) than a big pile of gift vouchers. I'm also quite content with nothing. If you couldn't think of what to get me, maybe I don't need anything!

I prefer to receive vouchers as it means I actually buy something for myself - cash gets swallowed up in household expenses. You do make a good a point about businesses going bust though, definitely something to consider.

Because cash gets swallowed up & because it's vulgar to give cash.

I don't like vouchers, our children got some last Christmas and we are struggling to spend them as no where seems to accept them (at the shops they want to buy things from anyway). I think I'm going to have to buy them off them and give them the cash. (Expecting them to get given more vouchers when we see family for Christmas this week)

I also like vouchers as it guarantees that I'll get to spend them on me, and not just stick the money in my purse which gets used for shopping etc This year I had an amazon voucher from DH, and an M&S voucher from my MIL.

If you’re sending gifts, it’s expensive to send parcels. You can put a voucher into a card and post it.

Surely, you choose more carefully which vouchers you choose, although I appreciate that it isn’t always easy these days, to know who is at risk of closure.

I’ve been very disappointed in the past, that actual gifts I’ve carefully chosen, have not been used or worn. That seems such a waste.

I think gift vouchers are lovely, I have had them for specific beauty salons and hairdressers that I use, from my parents. They know I like treatments so they gift me what ever I choose to have. This year I have Fenwicks vouchers because I have run out of Clinique so I can go in and stock up. We give the one4all to nieces and nephews so they can go and choose what they want, kids fall in and out of love with things so quickly now I would rather they have the opportunity to go and chose something for themselves. We have spoken to DH family and they are all happy to receive them because the kids get to go and do a bit of sales shopping, they know how much they have to spend and k ow that in the sales they get more for their money.

They tie you to buying something from a particular store Not necessarily.

The last time I gave cash to PIL, MIL decided to buy lights for their lounge (FIL had no say in the matter). They have very little money, so they prefer cash / vouchers. I now give them vouchers that can be spent in any store in our local shopping centre (PLENTY of choice). For those saying give cash - it's not a good idea to post cash, so I send Amazon e-vouchers to those we're not seeing at Christmas. Everyone I know is happy to receive an Amazon voucher - you can buy pretty much anything.