Holiday Hassles
Despite our best intentions to steer clear of the malls and take it slow during the Christmas season, many new moms still over-extend themselves during the holiday chaos.
My attempts at hassle-free holiday shopping turn into extra-strength Advil headaches.
I was sure I got it right this time when I purchased more than $200 worth of gift cards that supposedly work like traditional credit cards. My bank offers them free to its customers, so I stocked up with visions of home-made sugar cookies dancing in my head. (Did you think I was just going to sit around and drink egg nog with all my "free time"?)
The trouble, I recently learned, is that the cards aren't so easy to use. You have to register them and then check the balance online or by phone to make sure you don't spend more than the remaining amount. Don't think you can, say, buy a $50 blouse using your remaining $20 and pay the rest in cash. As my mother-in-law found out, the card will be rejected.
"That card you got me doesn't work," she announced at our last family gathering.
When I got home, I read the instructions for the cards I hadn't doled out yet. I finally decided to spend them myself on more traditional gift cards and spare my loved ones any grief.
It's a good thing I did. The cards were even more trouble than I could have possibly imagined!
I tried to use one at a new restaurant at the Freehold Raceway Mall to purchase a gift certificate for my parents. The clerk slipped the card through the scanner several times to no avail. "It was declined," she said, raising her voice above the loud music.
A man waiting next in line was giving me the evil eye.
We tried another card and then the original card again. Even the manager got into the act, calling the credit card company and trying to remedy the problem. Twenty minutes later, he handed me back the cards and he told me that he had to fax the card's serial number to the company. Apparently, one of the cards lost half of its value during our failed attempts and that was the only was to regain the full amount.
"You should be able to use this card in an hour," he said, wearily.
I paid for the gift certificate in cash, and promised to return the unused cards to the bank the next day.
Luckily, my son was home napping while I was trying to unload these gifts of aggravation.
This Christmas season, be good to yourself - and your family. Give people what they really want: cold, hard cash.
My attempts at hassle-free holiday shopping turn into extra-strength Advil headaches.
I was sure I got it right this time when I purchased more than $200 worth of gift cards that supposedly work like traditional credit cards. My bank offers them free to its customers, so I stocked up with visions of home-made sugar cookies dancing in my head. (Did you think I was just going to sit around and drink egg nog with all my "free time"?)
The trouble, I recently learned, is that the cards aren't so easy to use. You have to register them and then check the balance online or by phone to make sure you don't spend more than the remaining amount. Don't think you can, say, buy a $50 blouse using your remaining $20 and pay the rest in cash. As my mother-in-law found out, the card will be rejected.
"That card you got me doesn't work," she announced at our last family gathering.
When I got home, I read the instructions for the cards I hadn't doled out yet. I finally decided to spend them myself on more traditional gift cards and spare my loved ones any grief.
It's a good thing I did. The cards were even more trouble than I could have possibly imagined!
I tried to use one at a new restaurant at the Freehold Raceway Mall to purchase a gift certificate for my parents. The clerk slipped the card through the scanner several times to no avail. "It was declined," she said, raising her voice above the loud music.
A man waiting next in line was giving me the evil eye.
We tried another card and then the original card again. Even the manager got into the act, calling the credit card company and trying to remedy the problem. Twenty minutes later, he handed me back the cards and he told me that he had to fax the card's serial number to the company. Apparently, one of the cards lost half of its value during our failed attempts and that was the only was to regain the full amount.
"You should be able to use this card in an hour," he said, wearily.
I paid for the gift certificate in cash, and promised to return the unused cards to the bank the next day.
Luckily, my son was home napping while I was trying to unload these gifts of aggravation.
This Christmas season, be good to yourself - and your family. Give people what they really want: cold, hard cash.
posted by Nina Rizzo at 8:24 PM
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