Things You Don't Want To Hear

Image by justmakeit via Flickr

What is the one thing you don’t want to hear during the holidays?  For me, it was the following:

I got you a gift card.  Don’t waste it.

If there is any one statement that will make you second guess anything you do with a gift card, it is that.  What exactly would wasting it be?  Are we talking about the giver’s concept of wasting it, or the receiver’s concept of wasting it?

What if I’m not happy with what I bought with the gift card?  What if I buy a Nook Tablet, and find out that I don’t like it?  Would that be wasting it? 

What if I used it for something practical, like a haircut?  It certainly would not be wasted, but would I be wasting it?  And would the giver consider using it for such a purpose wasting it?

There’s just way too much pressure involved here.

Related articles

• Did You Get Another Gift Card You’ll Never Use? (fisilis.wordpress.com)
• 10 No-Fuss Gift Cards to Buy Now (fabsugar.com)
• 4 Steps to Avoid Lost Gift Card Money (savings.com)
• Consumers will leave up to $5 billion on unused gift-cards this year (yubanet.com)