I can’t believe Bennigan’s is bankrupt. I feel so sad now. I used to visit there with friends when I was in the Army in the mid-90s–their Monte Cristo was killer.

I prefer to buy people actual gifts to getting them gift cards. I don’t understand why people don’t take more time to be thoughtful. You don’t even have to spend a lot of money for it. Even when I left a job years ago because I was moving, my co-workers pooled money and bought me actual gifts. I feel like, if you know me that little that you can’t imagine what I would like, just buy me a greeting card and I’ll appreciate it just as well.

However, the customer service in the actual stores was less than stellar, to say the least. There’s more than once I waited at a cash register for somebody to take my money, then gave up, left the merchandise on the counter, and went elsewhere.

“Notwithstanding any policy of the seller, effective January 1, 2008, a gift certificate with a cash value of less than ten dollars ($10) is redeemable in cash (not a new certificate or merchandise) for its cash value.”

http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/legal_guides/s-11.shtml

I guess I can see CC going under soon too, but I’m not surprised when I find myself going to BB more that CC (that is when I actually go there now).

All these type of stores popped up in the mid-90′s anyway, so it was only a matter of time when the consumer recognized that we didn’t need two different stores that sold, for the most part, identical items at the identical retail prices. The only difference being when occasional sales (ie. $100 off a TV) would occur.

Financially, I still don’t get the purpose of a gift card. I somewhat understand the convenience factor and how its supposed to make it look like you put some thought in to the gift. But, with a gift card, your locking that gift-recipient into buying something they may or may not want from a specific store. Why not give cash?

The only benefit I see in gift cards is in a city like Pittsburgh where there is one huge grocery store chain (a ‘Giant’ monopoly) which now sells gasoline. By purchasing gift cards for just about any store at the grocery store and while using your store-advantage card, you accumulate points for a gasoline discount. So if you need to buy $1000 in gift cards, you can buy them from the grocery store and get a $2 or so discount per gallon of gas purchased from that store-gas station (which are convienently located alongside regular gas stations). This could also be why food prices there are more money than in NJ where there are like 3-4 major grocery store chains.

I also recognize that ‘feeling’ of when you walk into a store a see how no one is there, its not tidied up, and the stocks on the shelves are low. Or when you ask a sales associate for help and they disappear to the stockroom until you go away. I immediately think that ‘this’ store won’t be around for much longer and usually I’m right.