Receiving a gift voucher
My husband and I were so grateful to receive some amazing and generous presents at our recent wedding two months ago. Among our gifts were some gift vouchers, some for shops, so we can choose what to buy and some for a specific use, even one for an overnight stay at a hotel. As part of my job I help create and manage our clients’ gift vouchers, so it’s nice to be on the receiving end and know how it feels to receive and use an experience.
I love experiences!
The first gift voucher in the UK, a book token, was issued in 1932 and since then the sales of gift vouchers and gift cards has grown and grown to the point where the UK spent approximately £4.74 billion on gift vouchers and cards in 2012, 3% up on 2011.
Not everyone appreciates gift vouchers though, with £250 million per year ‘wasted’ on unused gift vouchers. There are a number of reasons some people don’t like giving or receiving them. They include the restriction of choice, a fixed expiry date or perhaps some people mean to get round to using their gift experience, but something else always seems to get in the way!
However, in my opinion, a gift voucher can be a perfect gift for anyone. They can either choose what they want rather than a gift that may never be looked at or used, or you are giving them an experience. An experience – a memory – is something that a ‘thing’ could never replace. To me, it means so much more!
What makes a gift special is the feeling and emotion you put into it, showing the effort you have put into thinking about what to get your family or friend and what they mean to you. That is something you can definitely accomplish with an experience gift voucher for any of SK Chase’s clients and can be that extra bit of luxury that they may not spend on themselves. If you know someone well, you can choose the right gift for them, whether it’s something they’ve always wanted to do, like have a traditional afternoon tea at a British institution or if you know how hard they work and would appreciate a relaxing back massage. And sometimes it works out great for you too, if it’s an experience for two!
Make Christmas shopping easier
With Christmas just round the corner, now is a great time for hotels to promote their gift vouchers in the lead up to Christmas and for everyone to start thinking about what their friends or family might like for Christmas.
We can’t wait to use our gift voucher soon…