Stride and Saunter

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Episode 128: The Influence of Gift Cards

Though we might have the tendency to overlook them as mundane or commonplace, gift cards play an interesting role in our gift-giving practices. Increasingly, they are more popular than tangible gifts and present a comfortable middle ground between the effort of finding a gift and the impersonal association we have with giving cash. We are grateful to have Leland Holcomb return this week to discuss these and other ideas about gift cards. And though their convenience is undeniable, how does it affect our gift-giving culture and by extension, our relationships? Does convenience stifle our otherwise creative and arduous journeys to find perfect gifts? Do we distance ourselves further from in-person shopping experiences? What might gift cards suggest about our knowledge of the recipient?

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Episode 128: The Influence of Gift Cards Kip Clark and Leland Holcomb

Further Reading:

Forbes, "How To Cash In On The $1 Billion Gift Card Aftermarket"

Payments, "Gift Cards Are Still A Major Gift-Giving Choice"

NBC News, "The Psychology Behind Bad Gift-Giving: Where Buyers Go Wrong"

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Gift cards aren't savings accounts: they're an assignment and a budget"

WNEP-TV, "The Secret in Gift Cards"

NBC News, "Why the Holiday Shopping Season Is Losing Some of Its Power"