Gift Cards

[wolf63]

I am currently at my voluntary job in a charity shop and I am trying to sort through a lovely donation made by a customer.

The donation is a six inch pile of gift cards, all with the pin scratch-bit still intact. As this is an unusual donation I am not too sure how to discover any value for these items.

Has anybody got any suggestions? I have no way of knowing if they are loaded with money - if we can check this online then we will do so.

Are these cards collectable?

[Buenchico]

What are they gift cards for? If some of them are for a retailer where you've got a local branch nearby, you could take them in and ask them to scan them or, if they're not the type with magnetic strips, to find another way tell you whether they're still valid .

I've found really old gift cards at the back of a drawer, for stores like Debenhams, and have never experienced any problems with checking on their validities.

Some gift cards remain valid indefinitely but nowadays many expire within a fixed period (which is commonly either 12 or 24 months). All you can do is to ask the card issuers about the ones you've got.

[Maydup]

I can only think that a group of volunteers will have to trot round to the various shops or outlets and have the cards checked to see whats on them.

You will then have to exchange them for goods which rae of use to the charity. Are they from a wide range of outlets or all one type?

[wolf63]

Marks and Sparks and other big stores. I might sort them out into all the retailers and see what we have. It might, potentially, be a good source of money.

Thanks Chris - I will visit AB again when I get home.

[wolf63]

Maydup - thanks for your input, will ponder and ponder and then ponder some more

[Maydup]

The question is how best to use these odd bits of money? What would you buy in M&S for example that would benefit the charity? Food maybe? But Debenhams, or Argos? Depends on the charity I suppose, but potentially a super donation.

[TheChair]

"What would you buy in M&S for example that would benefit the charity?" You could buy goods to sell in the charity shop.

[wolf63]

Thanks to all of you. I will try and sort the cards out into different retailers and then see how it goes.

It was a very generous donation, we are a book and music charity shop - an excellent shop (I'm, perhaps, biased) and we do receive some lovely donations.

I have postcards to sort through for the next couple of days - some over 100 years old.

What would I do without AB?

[Mamyalynne]

What would the shop do without you too, you put your all into what you do Wolf.x

[wolf63]

mamy - I am useless at most things in the shop but I do like doing the accounts and the postcards. I work through them at my own pace at home.

Charity shops are big business these days and after that 'unfortunate' new story from Haiti(?), we have some ground to make up. ☺

Sleep well mamya x

[Mamyalynne]

Night ♥

[hobbyworks]

If these cards are for charity then you should collect these card and you should give all these money to responsible people.