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Article: No-shopping, no-shipping gifts catch on Gift cards a growing trend, but they can carry fees, lose value
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- December 12, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2004 Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
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NEW YORK -- Publicist Scott Black started looking at purchasing
gift cards a couple of years ago, when he realized how much it cost
to ship holiday presents to customers and family.
"Whether for a client or my mother-in-law, it seemed silly to
spend $50 on a gift and then $20 to ship it," said Black, 40,
president of the TimePiece Public Relations agency in Dallas.
He's become a big fan of gift cards, which are prepaid cards that
look like credit or debit cards that recipients can use to purchase
goods or services. Black even sends them to his mother, who is an
avid reader.
"I get gift cards to the book stores near her," he said. "For her,