Gift cards can solve holiday problems, but be selective

All I want to give or get for Christmas is cash.

And if you’re honest, deep down, that’s what you’re thinking when someone asks you what you want.

“Please, just give me the money so I can buy what I really want — or need,” you’d like to say. “Or pay a bill.” But that isn’t polite.

I know there are those of you out there who love giving. This is your holiday of choice. You love to shop in search of just the right gift. It’s your calling. You’re on the lookout all year for the perfect gift.

It’s the reactions you get that the rest of us strive — but fail miserably — to achieve: The person opens your gift and there is an immediate shriek of delight. It’s just want she wanted. It’s the right size. It’s the right color. Or it’s meaningful. You get a long, tight hug of gratitude.

We untalented gift-givers end up buying ugly sweaters, singing-fish wall plaques and Chia pets. If we can’t get it right at least we can make the person laugh. Or we just give up and grab what’s on sale. We slog through stores with our shoulders slumped hoping — praying — something will jump out and be the right gift.

When we give gifts, this is how it goes: The person opens the present and there is no squeal of joy. For a fleeting moment — because he or she was raised right and was taught to be grateful no matter what — we see disappointment on the receiver’s face. We didn’t get the right size. We chose a hideous color. We get an inauthentic, “This is nice.” In the most egregious breaks with etiquette, we are immediately asked for the return receipt. Our hug is a light back tap.

It is we bad gift-givers who have contributed considerably to a billion-dollar trend: the gift card.

Second only to clothing, the National Retail Federation found that 56 percent of shoppers said they will give gift card. Spending on them is expected to reach $27.5 billion this year.

Nearly 93 percent of American consumers said that they have either given or sent a gift card, according to Gift Card Granny, an online exchange site created for people trying to get some value out of unwanted or partially used cards.

We terrible givers aren’t even getting the right cards. LendEDU.com, an online student loan marketplace, decided this year to do some analytical research to come up with a list of cards people don’t want and those that they do.

The site looked at 101 of the most popular gift cards, ranking them on five factors: How often they were searched on Google; if there are buyer discounts; average resale value; satisfaction with the card; and whether there’s free shipping.

From bottom up here are the five lowest-ranking gift cards: 1. Zara 2. Swarovski 3. Kmart 4. Aldo 5. Brookstone.

And the five highest-ranking gift cards:

1. Target 2. McDonald’s 3. GameStop 4. Chick-Fil-A 5. Chipotle.

“We wanted to come up with gift cards that the receiver will actually like or sell for a good amount of money,” said Nate Matherson, co-founder and chief executive of LendEDU.com.

We are told that gift cards make giving easy. That’s not necessarily true. A gift card can become a burden.

You may be relegating someone to eat at a restaurant they don’t fancy or shop at a retailer that doesn’t appeal to them. Or you might just be throwing money away.

I’m a gift-card hoarder. To honor the person’s thoughtfulness, I don’t want to use the card any old time. Let’s say I get a Target gift card. I don’t want to buy toilet paper or other household items I might need. Instead, I hold onto it until there’s something special I want.

Gift cards aren’t so great when you think about this: Almost two-thirds of receivers spend an extra 38 percent beyond the value of the card, according to Gift Card Granny.

And close to $1 billion went unredeemed in gift cards last year, according to CEBTowerGroup, an insight and technology company.

So, for those of us who are not perfect-gift givers, maybe our money would be better spent if we just give people cash. Bet then we’ll get better hugs.

Washington Post Writers Group