Books and other stuff I feel like discussing
By education and experience - Accountant with a specialty in taxation. Formerly a CPA (license has lapsed). Masters degree in law of taxation from University of Denver. Now retired. Part time work during baseball season as receptionist & switchboard operator for the Colorado Rockies. This gig feeds my soul in ways I have trouble articulating. One daughter, and four grandchildren. I share the house with two cats; a big goof of a cat called Grinch (named as a joke for his easy going "whatever" disposition); and Lady, a shelter adoptee with a regal bearing and sweet little soprano voice. I would be very bereft if it ever becomes necessary to keep house without a cat.
Mood:
Annoyed
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An economic reality check for Miss Manners
I was intrigued a week or so ago by a discussion on another blog I read regularly. The subject was the use of gift cards as opposed to shopping, wrapping, shipping a personally chosen item.
I like gift cards and use them regularly. One person responding to the issues raised by the discussion mentioned that Miss Manners (the popular ettiquette column appearing in many newspapers weekly) is opposed to gift cards, mentioning that they only give the message: "There! I've checked one more person off my gift list."
I'm certainly not going to take on Miss Manners. But here's the way things shape up for me. Only a very small number of gift recipients on "my list" are close enough geographically for me to present a gift with no shipping cost. And shipping things is expensive. Whether personally delivered through the post office or FedEx, UPS, or similar; or ordered through a catalog and paying shipping. AND I have a large gift list. Four distant grandchildren, four distant siblings, a bevy of nieces and nephews, some of whom now have children of their own.
Even if I was in sufficiently close touch with every member of this widely scattered extended family, the economics of shopping for each one personally and then shipping a gift (whether for birthday or at Christmas) is, plain and simple, more than I can afford.
A gift card fills the bill here nicely. There is an automatic price ceiling, of my choosing. A gift card can be mailed within the US for the price of a 39 cent stamp. I can choose from merchants running the gamut from Home Depot, to LL Bean, to Booksense Booksellers, to Victoria's Secret.
It seems to me that Miss Manners presents the unpleasant choice of (1) spending more than I can afford: or (2) ceasing to give gifts except for an extremely small number of recipients. I wonder if that's exactly what she means to convey.
And as far as receiving gift cards, I enjoy that quite a bit. Even if I take off for JC Penney or Sears to replenish my socks and underwear at someone else's expense, I'm happy. And if it's credit at an upscale grocery, or at a bookstore, I'm in heaven!
Woodstock
I like gift cards and use them regularly. One person responding to the issues raised by the discussion mentioned that Miss Manners (the popular ettiquette column appearing in many newspapers weekly) is opposed to gift cards, mentioning that they only give the message: "There! I've checked one more person off my gift list."
I'm certainly not going to take on Miss Manners. But here's the way things shape up for me. Only a very small number of gift recipients on "my list" are close enough geographically for me to present a gift with no shipping cost. And shipping things is expensive. Whether personally delivered through the post office or FedEx, UPS, or similar; or ordered through a catalog and paying shipping. AND I have a large gift list. Four distant grandchildren, four distant siblings, a bevy of nieces and nephews, some of whom now have children of their own.
Even if I was in sufficiently close touch with every member of this widely scattered extended family, the economics of shopping for each one personally and then shipping a gift (whether for birthday or at Christmas) is, plain and simple, more than I can afford.
A gift card fills the bill here nicely. There is an automatic price ceiling, of my choosing. A gift card can be mailed within the US for the price of a 39 cent stamp. I can choose from merchants running the gamut from Home Depot, to LL Bean, to Booksense Booksellers, to Victoria's Secret.
It seems to me that Miss Manners presents the unpleasant choice of (1) spending more than I can afford: or (2) ceasing to give gifts except for an extremely small number of recipients. I wonder if that's exactly what she means to convey.
And as far as receiving gift cards, I enjoy that quite a bit. Even if I take off for JC Penney or Sears to replenish my socks and underwear at someone else's expense, I'm happy. And if it's credit at an upscale grocery, or at a bookstore, I'm in heaven!
Woodstock
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