Vouchers as gifts

Akrasia

I don't get it

Traditionally, vouchers were for people who want to get someone a gift in a certain shop that they know their friend would like, but they were not confident enough to buy a particular item of clothing or music or whatever, so they gave the voucher saying, Here, I know you like this style of clothes, or like listening to music, here's money that you can spend guilt free on something you like.

Fine, I get it. It's a nice thought and it does, in theory, require some thought in order to choose what shop or restaurant etc to buy the voucher from.

But things have moved on a bit, Now we have vouchers that claim to be valid in all kinds of different shops, or that can be spent on groceries or entire department stores.


Now, these vouchers I just don't get.
All you're doing is giving someone cash as a gift, which again, is fine, I would love to receive cash as a gift. The more cash the better. But it's not cash is it. Cash doesn't have an expiry date or sneaky terms and conditions, and cash can be spent on anything that the person wants or needs, and when you spend cash on something that is less expensive than the value of the gift, the shop or seller tends to give back change.

Giving a voucher such as Amazon.com or one for all or something that can be spent on a range of goods or services is a little bit of a power trip. They're saying I don't know you or care enough to pick out something you'd like as a gift, but I also don't trust you enough to buy something that you'd actually like, rather than 'waste' it on petrol to get yourself to work. (although if the voucher is a petrol voucher, they're saying the opposite)

Vouchers for a grocery store as a gift say a few different things
1. Happy Birthday, Here's some money to buy food cause I know you're poor
2. I don't trust you to not spend my gift on crack cocaine or waste it on something less fun like paying the electricity bill

Vouchers put the pressure of picking a gift on the person who receives the gift rather than the person buying the gift. Often the person who gives the voucher will later on ask you what you spent it on and then act offended if you haven't used the voucher yet, or if you get something for yourself that they don't think was worthy of their gift.

For some reason, there is a taboo about giving cash as a gift as it can be seen as
A) Charity
or Impersonal
so these universal (not quite) vouchers allow people to give money in a more socially acceptable way.

I would love if the Post office could stop selling these 'one for all' vouchers (nothing against the company) and instead just sell a postal order that looks like a voucher.

A postal order/voucher made out in name to the person you're giving it to, but one that can be spent in literally any shop or lodged to the persons bank account and then withdrawn as cash.

What a lovely idea. People would have the best of both worlds and I wouldn't have to go into XX sports shop once a year and buy stuff that I don't want or need to use up a voucher that says it's accepted widely but is not valid for any of the goods or services that I actually want or need. My landlord won't take these vouchers for the rent. That says it all. For some reason he perfers cash.

smash

Akrasia wrote: »

I would live if the Post office could stop selling these 'one for all' vouchers (nothing against the company) and instead just sell a postal order that looks like a voucher.

Or you could just give someone a cheque...

davetherave

smash wrote: »

Or you could just give someone a cheque...

Or a postal order...

lucylu

or a few saving stamps

Akrasia

smash wrote: »

Or you could just give someone a cheque...

Cheques are good but shops don't accept cheques cause of the whole, massive risk that the bank will laugh at them when they go to cash it, so the giftee has to lodge it to his bank account and then it's just cash

The point of the postal order disguised as a voucher is that people who are not comfortable with giving cash or cheques could give a postal order voucher (with a snappy brand name, like 'Gift4You' or something equally silly) and shops should be happy enough to accept a postal order as direct payment for a good or service as it's guaranteed by the state

SV

I got bored of that after the first few sentences but I've heard the same argument a good few times.

The point of the oneforall vouchers is that people can ensure the person buys themselves a gift with it and doesn't spend it on the likes of groceries, rent, bills etc.
It also ensures that there is more than one place for them to spend it so you're guaranteed they'll find something they like.


Sure you might prefer cash to spend it on essentials but it's a gift and the point is to buy yourself a gift.

Hope that's cleared things up for you.

Akrasia

The point of the thread was to ask why people buy vouchers when all these alternatives exist and vouchers are clearly just a worse form of cash than cash

Akrasia

SV wrote: »

I got bored of that after the first few sentences but I've heard the same argument a good few times.

The point of the oneforall vouchers is that people can ensure the person buys themselves a gift with it and doesn't spend it on the likes of groceries, rent, bills etc.
It also ensures that there is more than one place for them to spend it so you're guaranteed they'll find something they like.


Sure you might prefer cash to spend it on essentials but it's a gift and the point is to buy yourself a gift.

Hope that's cleared things up for you.

Why do you feel the need to control what someone else does with your gift.

If you want to buy them something that they'd like, buy it for them.

If you give someone a gift card for a spa treatment so they can 'de-stress' when what they're stressed about is the fact that the phone bill is overdue and they haven't got enough money to pay the rent, its only going to make things worse.

smash

Akrasia wrote: »

The point of the postal order disguised as a voucher is that people who are not comfortable with giving cash or cheques could give a postal order voucher (with a snappy brand name, like 'Gift4You' or something equally silly) and shops should be happy enough to accept a postal order as direct payment for a good or service as it's guaranteed by the state

I don't know any shops who will accept a postal order. And most shops don't accept a one4all voucher either. That's why you can get 'perfect cards' etc... they're just pre topped up credit cards!

Lollipops23

I don't mind getting cash at all, it's usually what I give to my younger brother for Xmas/Bdays-he's 16, so having a few extra quid in his pocket is a much better gift than a voucher for something.

At the moment I'd be wary of a lot of shop-type vouchers. I still have one for A-wear, and am getting paranoid that I should use it soon

I know it's only happened to a couple of establishments, but it's enough to make you wary.

SV

Akrasia wrote: »

Why do you feel the need to control what someone else does with your gift.

If you want to buy them something that they'd like, buy it for them.

If you give someone a gift card for a spa treatment so they can 'de-stress' when what they're stressed about is the fact that the phone bill is overdue and they haven't got enough money to pay the rent, its only going to make things worse.

I wouldn't be too sure what to buy certain people. I think the idea of a gift of rent for a month is ridiculous but then that's just me.

Yeah, ok, you might think like that, not everybody does.

Not everybody is in debt either, which makes this whole argument kind of pointless and only applicable to people who are.




edit: There's also a Ranting and Raving forum for this exact kinda stuff

Slunk

I wouldn't buy vouchers for anyone myself but a lot of company's gave one 4 all vouchers as Christmas bonus as I heard they are Tax free rather than getting extra in your pay. I got myself a few nice shirts where as if I got extra pay I probably would have drank it.

kasper

i just give government bonds the greek ones or hmv vouchers i got a great deal on them

syklops

Just to give some background, the OP got a one4all voucher for his birthday. Money is tight and he took it down his local boozer for a few swift ones and was told, "Sorry mate we dont take them". Then he went to the offie to get some cans and was told "Sorry mate, we don't accept them". Then he went into Centra for a naggin and some Johnnie Blue but was told "Sorry mate, we don't accept them". Then he went down to lovers lane to Pashion Stacy and she told him "Sorry mate, I don't accept them". So now he is wondering what good are they?

jester77

smash wrote: »

Or you could just give someone a cheque...

That's a blast from the past, do cheques exist now a days? I haven't seen one in at least 15 years.

Capt'n Midnight

Give someone the money and a note to suggest what it should be spent on.

Vouchers are a disaster , it puts an obligation on the person to visit a particular store, it doesn't show the person was thinking about you.


Technically they are an unsecured loan to the shop

In some cases there are restrictions on their usage

Does anyone have figures for the % of vouchers that expire / are unclaimed ?

If you look on donedeal / adverts you'll see they sell at a discount



If vouchers could be purchased at a discount then maybe ( setting a date two weeks on them would stop people using them on the day )

Akrasia

syklops wrote: »

Just to give some background, the OP got a one4all voucher for his birthday. Money is tight and he took it down his local boozer for a few swift ones and was told, "Sorry mate we dont take them". Then he went to the offie to get some cans and was told "Sorry mate, we don't accept them". Then he went into Centra for a naggin and some Johnnie Blue but was told "Sorry mate, we don't accept them". Then he went down to lovers lane to Pashion Stacy and she told him "Sorry mate, I don't accept them". So now he is wondering what good are they?

Finally someone understands!

Akrasia

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Give someone the money and a note to suggest what it should be spent on.

Vouchers are a disaster , it puts an obligation on the person to visit a particular store, it doesn't show the person was thinking about you.


Technically they are an unsecured loan to the shop

In some cases there are restrictions on their usage

Does anyone have figures for the % of vouchers that expire / are unclaimed ?

If you look on donedeal / adverts you'll see they sell at a discount



If vouchers could be purchased at a discount then maybe ( setting a date two weeks on them would stop people using them on the day )

Exactly. Vouchers are just money, only a **** version of money

If someone gave you a choice between 50 quid that you could spend on anything you like, or a 50 quid voucher that has to be spent in a limited number of shops within a limited period of time and if you buy something that only costs 40 quid, they won't give you any change, which would you prefer?

syklops

The argument given is that money is cold and lacks thought.

Thats nice but how is limiting me to buying clothes when I might be hungry or behind on my rent, a help?