The Daily Gripe #11 - Gift Cards

It's time for The Daily Gripe, from Average Joe American.

It seems that every year I'm given gift cards as birthday gifts. Every year I say that gifts aren't necessary, but my wife forces me to tell her something I would like to have. I'll then name a favorite book and say, "Just no gift cards." But I always get them.

This year I received two ten dollar gift cards: one for Waldenbooks/Borders and one for Olive Garden. I told my wife, "That's fine," and that we'd go get some learning activity books for my son. So tonight we headed to the bookstore. We picked out one book for my son and Ted Dekker's Thr3e for me. We marched up to the checkout, my son proud with his new book in hands, and dropped our selections on the counter. We laid the gift card on top and waited.

"I'm sorry, this card is no longer valid, sir," the Cashier said. What? "It must have never been activated," she contunued. That really gripes me! Not at the gift giver, but at the system -- at the Cashier who sold the things without activating them through the register.

"Fine," I said, "I want the card back," I concluded as the Cashier prepared to stow the offending card away in the register. I don't care so much about the gift. I promised my son we'd get him a book with the gift card, and that's what upset me. "We'll just take the big book," I said, referring to the book for my son.

Drive thrus and gift cards, two of the most frustrating ways technology has ever been adapted. I hate the both!

Joe