Courtesy of families (Adele and Aaron); Shutterstock.com (all other images)

Standards

Article Options

Presentation View
Teaching Resources

Language

Are Gift Cards the Best Presents?

What’s at the top of your birthday wish list this year? For a lot of people, it’s gift cards. Americans spent more than $200 billion on gift cards last year, according to the National Retail Federation. 

Many people like getting gift cards because they can use them to buy whatever they want or need. They argue that receiving a gift card is better than getting a present they may never use or might want to return. 

But not everyone agrees. Some people think gift cards aren’t as thoughtful as other presents. They say taking the time to pick out a special gift for someone shows that you really care. Others point out that gift cards often end up going unused. According to Capital One Shopping, the value of unspent gift cards in the U.S. is about $23 billion.

Here’s what two of our readers think.

Have you ever received a present you didn’t like? If you had gotten a gift card instead, you could’ve bought something you really wanted. I like getting gift cards to my favorite store, Target. I can use them to buy all kinds of things I like. 

Many stores sell gift cards, so they’re easy to find. I put gift cards in small envelopes and give them to my friends. Not having to wrap a big gift avoids wasting a lot of wrapping paper.

It doesn’t take a lot of thought to pick out a gift card. Sure, buying one is more convenient than looking for the perfect present. But what does it say to the person you’re giving it to? 

Plus, stores usually won’t let you return gift cards. So if you like Roblox but someone buys you a Fortnite gift card, that could be money down the drain. If you get a boring sweater, at least you can exchange it.

What does your class think?

Are gift cards the best presents?

Please enter a valid number of votes for one class to proceed.

Are gift cards the best presents?

Please select an answer to vote.

Are gift cards the best presents?

0%
0votes
{{result.answer}}
Total Votes: 0
Thank you for voting!
Sorry, an error occurred and your vote could not be processed. Please try again later.
Skills Sheets (1)
Text-to-Speech