An assortment of gift cards, many from U.S. national retailers such as Best Buy, Target and Home Depot.
A gift card is a restricted monetary equivalent or scrip that is issued by retailers or banks to be used as an alternative to a non-monetary gift. Highly popular, they rank as the second-most given gift by consumers in the United States (2006) and the most-wanted gift by women, and the third-most wanted by males.[1] Gift cards have become increasingly popular as they relieve the donor of selecting a specific gift.[2] In Canada, $1.8 billion dollars were spent on gift cards whereas in the United States, about $80 billion were paid for gift cards in 2006.[3][4] The recipient of the gift card can use it at his or her discretion within the restrictions set by the issuing agency.
