Many local shoppers opt for gift cards

Are gift cards popular gifts? Some local residents believe a gift card is the best way to go, while some disagree.

"You can't really be wrong with a gift card," Fort Scott resident Raymond Bin said.

Despite the safety of a never fail gift card, Bin also believes that giving a gift card comes with risks.

"It tells me that the person didn't put any thought into my present," Bin said.

Fort Scott resident Sandi Keating disagrees with the choice of giving gift cards.

"It's just easier to buy what they want," Keating said.

However, she would have no problem being on the receiving end of a gift card.

"Just give me the cash and I can go get what I want," Keating said.

Rosalie Hyde of Kansas City, Mo., who was shopping in Fort Scott, said she does not mind gift cards as long as the card was chosen specifically for her. However, she does not purchase gift cards for others. Nancy Hagemann, of Prairie Village, who was also shopping in Fort Scott, said she recently purchased a gift card but does not use them very often because she forgets about the cards.

A survey done in November by The National Retail Federation predicts gift card sales will fall by 6 percent compared to the same time period in 2007. The survey also said 53.5 percent of respondents plan to purchase gift cards in 2008, compared to 56.6 percent in 2007.