Hope You Used Up Your Sharper Image Gift Cards!

by Sean





Yet another reason to avoid giving out those gift cards that everyone seems to love:

Tens of millions of dollars in gift cards and certificates became worthless overnight in the wake of the Sharper Image’s financial plight — and customers holding those cards have little recourse.

Federal law allows a company to stop honoring store gift cards when it files Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and that’s exactly what’s happening at San Francisco-based Sharper Image. Sales clerks are telling customers they can no longer accept the plastic cards as payment, and the cards are no longer accepted when customers try to use them online.

Hope you didn’t wait too long to go out and grab your personal foot massager/fancy nose hair trimmer/overpriced adult games early! :twisted:

  • I like the stores that allow you to get cash back instead of using all the money on the card if there is nothing else that you want. Sadly not a ton of stores offer this.
  • I hate getting gift cards from people. All it says is "I was too lazy or don't know you well enough to buy a present that means something" and if you're going to do that you might as well give cash.
  • Good tips you put out there about internet marketing goods and brands online. Internet marketing has indeed reduced traveling efforts for marketing. And the good part of it is that anyone can do it on a small budget
  • That is unfair. Many time we bought there just because they offered gift cards, which was given a cash value. We should be creditor when they bankbroke!
    Anyway, the law is here. Seeing the ecnomic is so uncertain, as consumers we'd better choose other physical incentive or use up the cards as soon as we can.
  • I prefer cash, those gift cards are useless.
  • Gift cards are nice to look at and to collect. Just don't keep it till its voided.

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  • great info. Using credit card to get points and cash em is a good alternative.
  • I no longer give gift cards in most cases anymore. The only time I will, and feel comfortable doing so, is for places like Home Depot, Wal-Mart, etc. Other than the giants, its cash...
  • I think we should differentiate those gift cards used as a credit card from those gift cards for accumulating points which can be exchanged with real products. I would prefer using the latter ones.
  • i prefer to use my bank card. But the idea is very great. i like it to read you blog. Go on :)
  • i also think that cash is better than a gift cards. thanks for sharing this information.
  • I agree -- I think cash is much easier than gift cards. Some gift cards expire or we often forget about them after a while.

    Thanks for sharing!
  • Well a gift is a good thing, but it must not bring problems.
  • That is a great reminder to me. I prefer use credit card together with bank card for those payments.
  • I'd still prefer use cash rather than gift cards! Thanks for the information.
  • huh, thats alarming..yeah, bring out the cash
  • Yeah, I agree! Give cold cash instead of giving gift cards. Thanks for sharing this bit information to us! ;)
  • I agree. Stop giving out the gift cards and hand over the cash. Good post!
  • I love reading your blog.
    I think that is crazy to be able to take people's money like that. I say cash is king. Forget the gift cards etc. Give cold hard cash.
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