Gift cards that don't feel last-minute
A gift card tells the person you did not know what to get them. Sometimes that is true. Often you just ran out of time, and it shows.
Some people prefer a card to anything else you could buy. The difference is in the details, and they take about ten minutes.
Which place should the card be for?
Somewhere the person already goes and likes. Their coffee place, the bookstore they browse, the garden center they talk about every spring, the restaurant they have mentioned twice. A card for a giant general store is easy to buy and easy to forget.
If you do not know a place, ask. "Where do you go when you want a treat?" works fine, and most people answer in one line.
What if I barely know the person?
Choose a place with a wide range, like a bookstore or a garden center, over a narrow one. A restaurant card only works if you know where they actually eat.
What can I put with it?
A small thing next to the card makes it look chosen:
- A coffee card with a good mug
- A bookstore card with a bookmark and a pencil
- A garden center card with a packet of seeds
- A restaurant card with a note naming the dish you hope they try
What should I write on it?
One line in your own handwriting does the most work. "For a Saturday with a good book" tells them more than the amount on the card. Say what you hope they will do with it.
Take the card out of its plastic sleeve and slip it into an envelope or a regular card. A card hanging off a rack hanger looks like what it is.
How do I check it before I hand it over?
Look at the packaging. If it has been opened or the back has been scratched, choose another one, because tampered cards are a known scam. Read the small print on the back for fees and expiry dates, and keep the receipt in case the card does not work.
Is an emailed card all right?
It is fine when you live far away or the date is close. Text the person to say one is coming, because an email from a store can land in a spam folder. Forward it with a note of your own on top instead of the bare message, so it still reads as from you.
When is a card exactly the right answer?
When the person says so. Teens saving up, a busy friend with no time to shop, someone who just moved and has everything they need, anyone with taste so particular you would be guessing. If they say "just get me a card," believe them.
In that case, the card is the gift they asked for. Add the line in the card anyway.
How do I stop leaving it to the last week?
Most last-minute cards come from not knowing the date was coming. Put each person's date in Wishmark and a reminder email arrives before it. That leaves time to find out where they like to go, buy the card, add the small thing and write the line.
If the date is far away, send the card a few days early rather than on the day. Mail is slow near holidays, and a card that turns up late looks like an apology.