Incorrect Blitz Input

Here’s a problem I’ve developed with gift cards since moving to New York and developing a distaste for the chain stores that are sucking out its culture– stores like the Banana Republic in the West Village, the Starbucks in Park Slope, and the American Apparel in Williamsburg.

What’s my beef with gift cards? Since their usefulness varies directly with the number of store locations of the issuing retailer, people are more likely to buy gift cards from bigger companies. So, the growing popularity of gift cards means more and more money goes to bigger stores. So far, Barnes & Noble has earned $75, Borders $25, Best Buy $25, and Starbucks $25, just from gift card sales in my name. This is $150 I might have spent at independent retailers like Alabaster Bookshop, The Strand., or the Tea Lounge. That’s a lot of money!

This isn’t to say I’m not grateful for the gift cards I did receive– I do appreciate them very much and am looking forward to buying all sorts of fun things with them. You can’t be blamed for buying a gift card from a chain store if you want to make sure someone far away can use the money!

For next year, I’m going to look into gift cards from local retailers. A Google search turned up Booksense , which looks like a program that bookstores can enroll in that includes a gift card that’s accepted by most of the participants. I think the Strand has it’s own gift card, and I’m sure I might be able to find a coffee shop or two that has one as well.

If a Starbucks ever appears in Bedford-Stuyvesant, I’ll give up. Can you imagine buying a Venti White Chocolate Mocha through a rotating carousel of bulletproof plastic?

Spotted in the men’s room of Sandra Cameron Dance Studio: