Category: Blogs

Sometime in the Pre Historic Era before the birth of Gift Cards) Elizabeth had a pleasing personality and was a very comforting presence as the only Indian in midst of around 20 Arabs, all attired in Dishdashas and Abayas (the traditional attire of Arab men and women respectively). I was to work with this group for a fortnight, providing them training in Microsoft office. Well, all of them were indeed very friendly and cooperative, but Elizabeth took it upon herself to make me comfortable in the very alien environment and also acted as an interpreter when the Indian English made no sense to the Arab junta and vice versa. When it was time for good byes, the gracious lady once again charmed me with her thoughtfulness –she pushed a little pink packet into my hands. Gifts are always exciting, doubly so when they come from the most unexpected quarters. I couldn’t wait to open it and when I did, it was a shirt –a happy-blue one with long sleeves. It was lovely!!I was already mentally teaming it up with my denims and flowing white skirt. I couldn’t wait to try it on. And I could definitely not wait till the next day. So what if dinner was rice, sambar and cabbage? I decided I could still dress up for dinner. A “qwik” shower and I get into my happy blue shirt …..well, hmmmm … my lovely blue shirt turns out to be a disaster ..I fill it out a little too much. But I don’t lose my heart. It’s just a few inches and a couple of kilos to shed. My happy Blue shirt would surely motivate me. I was already preparing a diet plan and a workout schedule. I just couldn’t give away Elizabeth’s gift without even wearing it once. And so in the last many years, the Happy blue shirt has travelled with me from Kuwait to Hyderabad to Bangalore. She still hangs there in my cupboard, hoping that some day, some day she will be chosen over her neighbors in the cupboard. Her only solace is that she now has the company of a pink kurta that had a disastrous alteration and a lime green jacket that dusky beauties should keep a safe distance from!! They seem to be in there for a very long wait… In spite of not being a hoarder by nature, there are a few such sartorial nightmares that I do hoard for various reasons-if some are gifted by special people, then some are too expensive to be given away. So you carry the baggage for years and years waiting for the kilos to shed, for the skin to lighten, for your niece to grow up, for your daughter to be born…… I have always wondered if this was the psycho-sentimental me at play. Why be bundled with ill fitting clothes? Why not gift the power to choose. If Elizabeth had a choice, am sure she would have delightfully gifted me a GIFT CARD. And the Happy Blue Shirt would have been MY TRULY HAPPY BLUE SHIRT. – Uma Menon

Imagine in today’s high pressure, time starved environment, one is in a hurry to buy a gift for someone’s wedding, anniversary or birthday and one is running late wracking one’s brains hunting for the right gift to buy. Walking into the nearest grocery store, book store, mobile store or drug store one finds an array of gift cards from various top brands – clothing, footwear, accessories, jewellery, watches, sunglasses etc! Amazing! The sheer convenience of being able to pick up a gift card for any occasion, for any value from practically anywhere at all is an un-precedented convenience from a consumers point of view! The availability of a wide choice of gift cards via the internet is another superb convenience – let your fingers do the walking, pay at your convenience and have the gift of choice delivered to your door-step! Couldn’t be a better way to find the right gift! – Sadiq Ahamed

I remember the days where occasions were few and gifts were limited but the happiness that came with it was tremendous. We would wait for the occasion, await the arrival of uncles especially the ones well placed as in terms of money so the gifts would be big The sheer size of the box was a reflected on the face …a smile from end to end to no end at all . That was 1982. Time’s changed quickly and today its 2011. Festivals remained true to their origin, ideas changed of gifting but the Indianism approach to gifting did not change. It merely refined from the beady eyes of 1982 into looking at the guests and then slowly at the hands, are those hands flowing with the wind or are they holding onto a something. This reminds me of the good old punch line we used to use during college days where invitations boldly read “presence with presents only “ Now 2010 October: This year has seen all of us survive the tides of recession and wanting to unwind on the weekends after the great struggle of not the hard work but the effort in holding onto our jobs and keeping the moolah flowing into the coffers of the ambitious bosses , so now it’s time to unfold what happened that wonderful sunset evening…. It was my son’s birthday and the regular gifts rolled in as usual….and the fun went on until late midnight. For the adults the spirits were boosted with rich wines and wonderful delicacies and for a party lover and a food lover like me there is no limit to any of these ingredients. Just before sunrise like vampires the last drop of spirit was set free from the crystal container into its new journey to flesh and blood. The morning after………. Son: Papa wake up I got this card. Me: Keep it there someone will come for it …(remember its now 6:00 am) Son: No it says I am gifted with Rupees 500.00 The first thought was the morning prayer – “Thank God for his small mercies” but this was in plastic. There began a new era at home of being gifted, and not to forget ……..gifting. The shopping experience was funny, the choices many and the outlets few. Finally with a lot of convincing that the card cannot add cash onto itself for a bigger gift gained personification as it was the last week of the month and there were no more shops left . All done and it’s time to gift all of you an anatomy of what this gift card business is about. It takes one plastic piece and an impish grin to tell your giftee “yes! I am still in control and you have to buy something from this shop only and you are worth only that denomination on this card”. Quite a wicked way of gifting and a wonderful way of saying goodbye to your weekend. Folks, the gift card ride is here, take it or go shopping and get to hear “what a cheap lamp she gave me and ate so much!” Jai hind! – Sadiq Ahamed

Tired of Last minute dash to the nearest toy store or a gift store, wondering what to pick, guessing if your gift would be liked by the kid whom you don’t know, and frustrated in being forced to pick something useful, from the limited choices in the market, due to budget or time constraint…and so goes the list….. Many a times I’ve wondered why we go through it, when heart of hearts we won’t be surprised if all our efforts will just land up being recycled….But we still do it, honestly, I think its to save our face and keep up with the social stigma, nevertheless, in some cases we genuinely care to do so…. and Am sure I am not alone in this ordeal…. Why do we have to feel drained when we ought to be having fun??? That’s the very reason, I turned to gifting giftcards…Nowadays! am not worried in seeing an invite..I love getting one and am ready to have fun!! Also! Won’t you agree when I say- It’s easy to buy gift for a girl as compared to a guy?? Most girls get excited on a simple gift as trivial as a chocolate when its wrapped with an element of surprise!!!!(Well !!! That’s the way they’re made! ) Yet! most guys never get that !! I hear often stories of men over enthusiastically buying a surprise gift for their loved ones but landup surprising themselves at their drastically wrong choice of color or size 😉 For such ’Men from Mars’ giftcards is a savior! They are sure to score brownie points ;-)) Not to forget! It was a rude shock to me that even after 14 yrs people still gift anything under the roof for any occasion without giving a slightest thot!!From Shield with God pics at babyshowers to a fancy car for a 4 yr old girl’s b’day!!! It’s so ridiculous! A giftcard with half the value would have brought a bigger smile to the giftee’s!! There are many such reasons for the need of a giftcard!! I feel the awareness to giftcards should be spread in our society!! I accept it lacks the personal touch at the outset but I feel it’s the best option for both the parties and it truly brings out the very purpose of gifting!!!! Having said that, ‘There are times when you got to shop but for everything else get a Giftcard!!!’ –  Sadiq Ahamed

I don’t like gifting. It’s too much of an effort. I want to give a gift but I dread the experience and outcomes of picking a gift for someone. I feel like a mouse in maze when I wander around the isles of departmental stores, thinking what can be a good gift for my friend. I feel like a over-sized kid when I am in a toy store because my natural tendencies clash with my common sense on what would be a good gift for my kid nephew. I unconditionally submit to my wife on any occasion of gifting. I let my puppy face and credit card do the damage control. However, I am coming across some innovative and cool gifting concepts off late with things like Gift Cards. Besides giving a lazy gifter like me a rather smart looking way of gifting, the packaging options and giftee-friendly features pack a nice punch. If I am a lazy gifter, there are lazy-giftees too to whom the online gift cards give the necessary cardio-workout with all the clicking of mouse while shopping online. Overall, Gift Cards are making me look good and helping me in gifting when I need it the most. – Sadiq Ahamed

( Written by a Senior Corporate Executive) Gift cards are the single biggest game changer for gifting in my life. I buy them all the time for friends and family. It is unbelievably convenient as an option on account of its easy availability and the way it opens up choice for the recipient. What fun it is to be given a card carrying a certain value, which one can go to the shops with and buy whatever one likes! Books, Music, Toys, Games, DVDs, Clothes, Jeans, Footwear, home improvement stuff, gadgets, kitchen stuff and so on. I use gift cards for all sorts of occasions including weddings, engagements, birthdays, anniversaries and just regular “feel good” gifting occasions too! It’s also great to have the option to load the gift cards according to the budget one has for any particular occasion and intended recipient! Believe me, it’s a lot of fun to see the myriad options available on packaging – nice innovative, attractive, colorful, sometimes even quirky packs depending on whom you want to gift to as well as the occasion! And the best thing is that one doesn’t even have to leave one’s comfy armchair to buy – simply let your fingers do the walking (via the internet) and buy gift cards for any occasion that is important to you! Can’t be a better way of having fun while gifting! – Shankar Balan