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When it comes to buying a gift for that hard-to-please person on your shopping list, gift cards may be the perfect solution. They are convenient and popular and many people view them as the next best thing to cash. A University of Georgia expert warns, unlike cash, gift cards can expire and lose their value.

“Different cards come with different terms and conditions related to fees, expiration dates, where you can use them and what happens if they’re lost or stolen,” says Michael Rupured, a UGA Cooperative Extension financial specialist.

“Gift cards are definitely not all created equally. There can be some big differences from one card to another.”

Some actually cost more money than what they’re worth. For example, a $50 gift card can cost $55.

“You’ve lost $5 from the purchase fee right off the bat with this type of gift card,” Rupured said. “Typically, these are the gift cards that can be used at many locations.”

Gift cards bought directly from a retailer are usually offered at face value, but they may have different charges associated with them.

A cardholder can be penalized for not using their gift card. Some companies deduct a non-usage fee starting about six months after the card’s purchase.

“Many people set gift cards aside and forget about them. This fee will continue to be subtracted from the card until its value is depleted.”

Per-use transaction fees are another possible drawback to using gift cards. This fee is deducted from the gift card if the entire amount isn’t used in one transaction.

A fee can also be charged when you call to check the card’s balance.

“All of these fees and terms should be disclosed, perhaps on the card itself. More often, the fees are explained in a separate document, on a Web site or from a toll-free number.”

Just like cash, if you lose a gift card, the person who finds it can pick it up and use it. For safety sake, Rupured write the gift card’s unique number on your receipt. Then attach the receipt to the gift card.

“The person you give it to will know how much you’ve paid and they’ll have the information they need to replace it if it’s lost.”

Even with these downsides, as long as you pay attention to the terms, gift cards can be useful.

“A lot of retailers don’t charge any fees for using their gift cards, and if you have family or friends in different cities, you can give a gift card from a major retailer. Just check to make sure they have the same retailer near by.”

If you’re leery of gift cards, Rupured suggests giving a personal check. “There aren’t any fees associated with it, and the recipients can get the cash and use it anyway they like,”

Despite your good intentions, your gift card may never be redeemed.

“I recently read that a fifth of all gift cards purchased last year were never redeemed,” Rupured said. “Recipients said they either didn’t have time to go shopping or couldn’t find anything to buy.”

Source
Michael Rupured, UGA Cooperative Extension
706-583-0054

Walmart has announced plans to develop a worldwide sustainable product index for evaluating the sustainability of products.

“Customers want products that are more efficient, that last longer and perform better,” said Mike Duke, Walmart’s president and CEO. “And increasingly they want information about the entire lifecycle of a product so they can feel good about buying it. They want to know that the materials in the product are safe, that it was made well and that it was produced in a responsible way.

“At Walmart, we’re working to make sustainability sustainable, so that it’s a priority in good times and in the tough times. An important part of that is developing the tools to help enable sustainable consumption.”

The company will introduce the initiative in three phases, beginning with a survey of its more than 100,000 suppliers around the world. The survey includes 15 questions that Walmart’s suppliers will use to evaluate their own sustainability efforts:

Material Efficiency: Reducing Waste and Enhancing Quality
1. If measured, please report the total amount of solid waste generated from the facilities that produce your product(s) for Walmart for the most recent year measured.
2. Have you set publicly available solid waste reduction targets? If yes, what are those targets?
3. If measured, please report total water use from facilities that produce your product(s) for Walmart for the most recent year measured.
4. Have you set publicly available water use reduction targets? If yes, what are those targets?

Natural Resources: Producing High Quality, Responsibly Sourced Raw Materials
1. Have you established publicly available sustainability purchasing guidelines for your direct suppliers that address issues such as environmental compliance, employment practices and product/ingredient safety?
2. Have you obtained 3rd party certifications for any of the products that you sell to Walmart?

People and Community: Ensuring Responsible and Ethical Production
1. Do you know the location of 100 percent of the facilities that produce your product(s)?
2. Before beginning a business relationship with a manufacturing facility, do you evaluate the quality of, and capacity for, production?
3. Do you have a process for managing social compliance at the manufacturing level?
4. Do you work with your supply base to resolve issues found during social compliance evaluations and also document specific corrections and improvements?
5. Do you invest in community development activities in the markets you source from and/or operate within?

“The questions aren’t complicated but we’ve never before systematically asked for this kind of information. The survey is a key first step toward establishing real transparency in our supply chain,” said John Fleming, chief merchandising officer, Walmart U.S.

Walmart will ask its top tier U.S. suppliers to complete the survey by Oct. 1. Outside the United States, the company will develop timelines on a country-by-country basis for suppliers to complete the survey.

As a second step, the company is helping create a consortium of universities that will collaborate with suppliers, retailers, NGOs and government to develop a global database of information on the lifecycle of products — from raw materials to disposal. Walmart has provided the initial funding for the Sustainability Index Consortium, and invited all retailers and suppliers to contribute.

The final step in developing the index will be to translate the product information into a simple rating for consumers about the sustainability of products. This will provide customers with the transparency into the quality and history of products that they don’t have today.

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Examiner.com’s Gluten-Free Food Examiner Jen Cafferty ranks the top 10 kitchen gadgets for gluten-free cooking:

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