View Full Version : What is the point in a gift voucher?
With the recent latest store HMV to go into administration, the usual announcement of vouchers being turned down etc, what is the point?
With a voucher I see nothing but risk. Cash is universal and carries virtually no risk, lets face it if our sterling is turned down weve got bigger problems than buying a CD.
If a person cant decide (or cant be arsed to decide) what to buy you, why not just stump up the cash. Better still, put some thought into the gift and go get it.
Vouchers are nothing but bad news, stay well away.
yorkie_chris
16-01-13, 09:26 AM
Yep confuse the f*** out of me too...
Spank86
16-01-13, 09:27 AM
There is no point, it's a gimmick invented by stores to boost sales.
Sir Trev
16-01-13, 09:31 AM
There is no point, it's a gimmick invented by stores to boost sales.
This.
Stores get the dosh up front and supply nothing. They make money from the positive cash flow and if the recipient forgets about or loses the voucher they love it all the more. Points schemes are the same - instead of giving us a paltry reward for loyalty after collecting eight squillion stamps give us better prices now, but the stores are expecting us to give up and forget the points (are you listening Shell?).
Spank86
16-01-13, 09:39 AM
Exactly. How many of you think buy now pay later offers are a good idea because you get the goods and make a bit on the interest?
Well guess what gift vouchers do the same thing but in the stores favour.
The only time gift vouchers ARE good is if they're doing offers on them but that rarely happens nowadays.
Littlepeahead
16-01-13, 09:39 AM
The only gift card I will buy now is this one:
http://www.one4allgiftcard.co.uk/
Because it is valid for loads of stores.
Although we did get Jambo and Jo some John Lewis vouchers for their wedding and pointed out that these can be used in Waitrose so if they fancied spending £50 on ice cream and jelly babies they could.
Owenski
16-01-13, 10:02 AM
They're sort of a cop out anyway, its almost like giving cash is seen as a cheap option ie no thought put into the gift but to give a gift voucher sort of says "well I know you like music but I thought it best you chose the album"
HMV have been super cheeky though, waiting until after xmas and in the mid january sales to pull the plug I bet 90% of people who got a HMV voucher at xmas havnt used it yet.
Spank86
16-01-13, 10:29 AM
They may start allowing vouchers again yet, Comet did.
The only gift card I will buy now is this one:
http://www.one4allgiftcard.co.uk/
Because it is valid for loads of stores.
I get my vouchers from here http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/Pages/home.aspx
:-)
dizzyblonde
16-01-13, 10:37 AM
This.
. Points schemes are the same - instead of giving us a paltry reward for loyalty after collecting eight squillion stamps give us better prices now, but the stores are expecting us to give up and forget the points (are you listening Shell?).
Do you know how many points I have to collect before Shell give me a sip of fuel....... I don't bother since I saw it on watchdog. I do use the nectar card though. It's slightly better being multi use.
missyburd
16-01-13, 10:41 AM
Vouchers are a pain, as the shops I try and avoid going to all year I now am forced to go to to spend the bloomin thing. Not that I'm ungrateful but 9 times out of ten the stuff there is too expensive for the value of the voucher to cover so I end up spending more in a shop I'd normally deem to dear to spend in anyway. Now I'm worried the shop will go bust before I spend it so I can't even put it off!
Sir Trev
16-01-13, 10:46 AM
Do you know how many points I have to collect before Shell give me a sip of fuel....... I don't bother since I saw it on watchdog. I do use the nectar card though. It's slightly better being multi use.
Yes I saw that piece on Watchdog - it's what made me mention Shell. They are convenient so I continue to collect the points but I'm not rabid about it any more. I get a £10 gift card once every six months or so...
They allow people to pretend they've put thought into a present.
They give people a piece of mind that the receiver isn't just spending the cash on beer.
A number of people will forget to ever spend them.
It's cash up front for no goods surrendered. Imagine the bank interest on the money alone.
I think they serve a purpose. For instance my nan enjoys getting me something for christmas and birthdays so she gets me an itunes voucher because she knows I like music however she doesn't have the knowledge to shop online and well... HMV are closing!
They allow people to pretend they've put thought into a present.
They give people a piece of mind that the receiver isn't just spending the cash on beer.
A number of people will forget to ever spend them.
It's cash up front for no goods surrendered. Imagine the bank interest on the money alone.
I think they serve a purpose. For instance my nan enjoys getting me something for christmas and birthdays so she gets me an itunes voucher because she knows I like music however she doesn't have the knowledge to shop online and well... HMV are closing!
How about popping a tenner in a card and saying "Buy yourself some music with this"
yorkie_chris
16-01-13, 10:55 AM
Do you know how many points I have to collect before Shell give me a sip of fuel....... I don't bother since I saw it on watchdog. I do use the nectar card though. It's slightly better being multi use.
On the other hand using hundreds of litres a week of company fuel card.... er you might get a fiver or so from them occasionally... :p
How about popping a tenner in a card and saying "Buy yourself some music with this"
*ahem*
They give people a piece of mind that the receiver isn't just spending the cash on beer.
dizzyblonde
16-01-13, 11:31 AM
On the other hand using hundreds of litres a week of company fuel card.... er you might get a fiver or so from them occasionally... :p
Yeah company fuel card might get a fiver, but I'm just a member of the public. I may use Shell being the nearest station, but even with my thirsty waggon, it would take months or years to even get anything back from collecting points
missyburd
16-01-13, 11:34 AM
Yeah company fuel card might get a fiver, but I'm just a member of the public. I may use Shell being the nearest station, but even with my thirsty waggon, it would take months or years to even get anything back from collecting points
Morrisons fuel card's the same. I got that when I first started filling up the SV, thought I'd start collecting points by the bucketload using a tank a week as I did then...until I realised filling up a car every week is going to collect a sight more points and it would take me aaaages to get any money off...:smt017
dizzyblonde
16-01-13, 11:57 AM
That's why I find nectar better. We both have a card for the same account. We use sainsburys or BP more often, as we've either passed one going to work or nipped in to shop, and fuelled up at the same time. Plus you can collect using eBay and many other places.
I've got a whole 15 quid for emergency on mine!
Littlepeahead
16-01-13, 11:58 AM
I sometimes make my own vouchers. This year my best mate got £75 cash for her birthday but a voucher with it to say that I would go to Westfield or another hideous shopping centre which I loathe in order to buy her lunch while she spent the money on lingerie. I printed this voucher onto a pair of size 22 knickers which we both got into at once at the party.
And Chris8886 got a voucher with a picture of a curry and rice on it saying next time he stayed at mine I'd take him out to the Nepalese place we like, feed him and buy the beers for his birthday.
missyburd
16-01-13, 12:41 PM
£75 cash to a mate for a birthday? AND lunch? Wow, clearly I'm making the wrong friends...!
Littlepeahead
16-01-13, 12:44 PM
£75 cash to a mate for a birthday? AND lunch? Wow, clearly I'm making the wrong friends...!
It was her 40th so a bit of a milestone.
dizzyblonde
16-01-13, 12:53 PM
£75 cash to a mate for a birthday? AND lunch? Wow, clearly I'm making the wrong friends...!
We're obviously poor and indeed tight northerners
;)
We did get Jambo and Jo some John Lewis vouchers for their wedding and pointed out that these can be used in Waitrose so if they fancied spending £50 on ice cream and jelly babies they could.
Those were very useful, and the Mrs has bought lots of things that make the house "nice" dipping into vouchers to do so over the last year and a bit. Somehow I think it felt like it was OK to spend it on stuff that wasn't directly useful.
But in general I think vouchers are in the store's favour, rather than the recipients.
Jambo
I sometimes make my own vouchers.....
For the girlfriends birthday I often just give her a voucher that entitles her to half an hour of my lovin'
yorkie_chris
16-01-13, 02:40 PM
For the girlfriends birthday I often just give her a voucher that entitles her to half an hour of my lovin'
Redeemable in 60 parts? :-P
Redeemable in 60 parts? :-P
True. I can picture her face already upon receiving such a 'gift'! ;)
timwilky
16-01-13, 02:52 PM
Oh I don't know. I win beer vouchers from the one arm bandit outside Asda on a regular basis.
They are accepted at all pubs I tried using them at.
*ahem*
it could just as easily be crap music :p, I would rather you bought yourself a pint than a Bieber CD
ClunkintheUK
16-01-13, 05:51 PM
For the girlfriends birthday I often just give her a voucher that entitles her to half an hour of my lovin'
So many vouchers are never redeemed......
-Ralph-
16-01-13, 06:21 PM
I wouldn't send cash in the post, only a cheque.
Another reason is presentation. They are printed and colourful and come in cards and presentation boxes. The same as we buy wrapping paper. Sending a cheque and writing, "this is for you to spend on music", is a bit like wrapping a present in plain paper and writing Merry Xmas on it in a biro.
I did think about my Mum's xmas present this year, went to choose, got stunned by the overwhelming choice and my total lack of knowledge in a specialist product, and came away with a voucher because there was a 90% chance I'd have bought the wrong thing anyway.
Spank86
16-01-13, 06:36 PM
But if you're sending in the post is a voucher really any better than cash?
I can see the presentation argument though.
fizzwheel
16-01-13, 06:46 PM
I think I'm in the minority then I like getting gift vouchers and it makes my families lives easier on Christmas and Birthdays.
Itunes Vouchers, Wiggle Vouchers and Vouchers for the local bike shop always go down well with me.
I'd much rather have a voucher than cash as the cash I'll just fritter away and spend or rubbish, whereas the voucher I'll think a bit harder about spending and I know I'm spending it on what the giver intended me to spend the money on.
Been getting Infinity vouchers from the wife's family for birthdays & xmas's for the last couple of years. Spent them all getting kitted out with Kriega luggage. If I got cash it would have gone in my wallet and then probably into my fuel tank - nothing to show!
This year had to add £12 to get final piece of Kriega instead of £32. Way better than some hideous jumper or cash.
Personally I would rather have a voucher than cash, can't fritter it away and usually add a wee bit to it to get something really nice! Result!
So - if any of you voucher haters want rid of yours - send them to me!!!!!
Ceri JC
17-01-13, 04:40 PM
It's a societal thing. For some insane reason, in polite society it's considered vulgar to give cash, it's considered vulgar to give a gift with the price label still on it, yet it's completely fine to give a gift voucher with the value emblazoned on the front in inch high letters.
I suppose vouchers can serve some limited purpose; I received a couple hundred pounds of Halfords vouchers from my insurers after my garage was broken into and the noticed on my inventory that 90% of it was Halfords Professional stuff. It made sense then; less P&P for them than shipping me the tools and a "better than nothing" fraud prevention measure.
Mind you, the inherent overhead of the scheme (all currencies have a built in cost in things like minting coins, fraud prevention measures, etc.) would not be worth it, were it not for the fact that a lot of vouchers go unspent for various reasons: expired, lost, never used as someone doesn't have store X near them, firm goes into administration, etc.
it could just as easily be crap music :p, I would rather you bought yourself a pint than a Bieber CD
Can you be my new nan please! :P
So many vouchers are never redeemed......
ROFL! :smt019
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