The title is a bit more dramatic than the blog post is going to be.
My coworker is leaving for a new job at the end of the week and we wanted to send her off with a celebratory lunch and a gift as she embarks on this new adventure. She is just getting into cooking and has a particular interest in baking so we decided we would get her a Sur la Table gift card that she can apply towards cooking classes. I also picked up some fun, colorful kitchen utensils (at Home Goods) as sort of a gift basket to present the gift card. She is young and I thought she would like the cheerful colors.
While I was checking out at Sur la Table the woman waiting on me gave me the best tip about gift cards and I thought it was worth passing on.
She said to always check the back of the gift card before you purchase and to make sure the pin number covering isn't scratched off. She says unscrupulous types will expose the pin number, take a picture of the back of the card and then put it back. Then every day they will check to see if someone has purchased that particular card and as soon as it shows a balance they'll make a purchase with it. The unsuspecting buyer will cheerfully gift it to someone who will surely think they are a cheapskate when they try to redeem it and there is only $1.73 left on it.
I thought that was a brilliant tip and not something I ever thought to check for.
