What are you getting from Santa ?

[mangocrazy]

I guess the one size fits all answer is a gift card from Amazon or somesuch.

But then I despise Amazon and all their works and will go to great lengths to avoid buying from them, so that is far from the complete answer.

[Ditchfinder]

Amazon would have been preferable - instead it's for a shop that sells overpriced trousers that the voucher only covers a third of the typical purchase price

[Mr. Dazzle]

Get some hotpants?

[Ditchfinder]

The cheapest thing they sell are boxer shorts but £25 !!!! Like fuck would I pay that - even if it's not my money it's just encouraging the thieving shits

[Pirahna]

Ask the gift giver if they can get a refund.

[Ditchfinder]

No returns on gift cards

[Pirahna]

Then give it back. It's probably somewhere they shop, explain it's not for you and would they be able to make use of it.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Reverse regifting.

Like it.

[mangocrazy]

I've always thought that gift cards were rubbish, unless they're ones that cover multiple stores or stores that sell a massive variety of things - but even then it's better just to give cash - unless you're one of those weirdos that thinks giving (or even talking about) money is vulgar.

That's fine if you live close to the intended recipient, but sending cash by post (or carrier pigeon or whatever) is a bit sketchy.

[Mr. Dazzle]

My Mum just BACS me a bunch with the transaction message "Merry Christmas"

[Taipan]

Years ago my Wife got a £50 Hollister voucher. She doesn't shop there or is ever likely too and back then our kids didn't either. So I had to take her to Bluewater shopping centre where she stood at the till waiting for someone to pay cash and asked if they could use her card and she could get the £50 cash. 10 minutes later he had her money!

[Yorick]

I loved getting gift vouchers as a kid. Usually W.H. Smiths or HMV.

My aunties knew I'd buy something nice rather than just fritter the money away.

[Taipan]

I loved getting gift vouchers as a kid. Usually W.H. Smiths or HMV.

My aunties knew I'd buy something nice rather than just fritter the money away.

Same reason i got them as I definitely would have frittered it away!

[Mr. Dazzle]

I'll tell you what...the pen section of W. H. Smith is a shadow of what it used to be

We went in there recently to get Baby D's school stationary and left a bit disappointed. I remember when the entire second floor was nought but pens, pencils and various accoutrement.

[Yorick]

Stationery

I always remember the E is for envelope.

[Mr. Dazzle]

It's a stationary cupboard cause they never move

Edit: I'm guilty of creeping Americanisms too. I actually mean the first floor But it's the second one up.

[mangocrazy]

I've always thought that gift cards were rubbish, unless they're ones that cover multiple stores or stores that sell a massive variety of things - but even then it's better just to give cash - unless you're one of those weirdos that thinks giving (or even talking about) money is vulgar.

That's fine if you live close to the intended recipient, but sending cash by post (or carrier pigeon or whatever) is a bit sketchy.

You can send it special delivery and it's insured up to £1,000 IIRC.
Or by other delivery places and insure it.

Fair 'nuff

Or by CHAPS or BACS or Paypal...or various others.

In which case it's no longer cash. And asking for someone's bank details etc. does cut down on the spontaneity of the giving thing, n'est ce pas?

In fact, you'd probably need to deliberately take unnecessary risks to lose it.

You've obviously never tried sending cash to the Philippines (by any means)...

[Mr. Dazzle]

Ha.

Generational gap. Or financial professional gap.

Cash to me means anything in your immediate liquid bank balance. BACSing someone money is sending them cash in my world.

I suspect Iccy thinks in similar terms. I suspect you did at one point given your work history.

[mangocrazy]

Ha.

Generational gap. Or financial professional gap.

Cash to me means anything in your immediate liquid bank balance. BACSing someone money is sending them cash in my world.

I suspect Iccy thinks in similar terms. I suspect you did at one point given your work history.

Liquidity is liquidity, but cash is physical - stuff you can hold. Conflating BACS/Paypal/Moneygram with cash is dangerous if you value the immediacy and anonymity of 'real' cash. How can cash not be a physical thing; i.e. bank notes and coins? Banks and government would love to be able to get rid of cash - any digital transaction leaves a 'paper' (?) trail; cash doesn't.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I'm just talking about what I think of when someone says "cash" is all. I suspect you could find multiple definitions of it depending on the crowd and on the context.