It is unthinkable for me to tread in a traditional place of commerce during the months of November and December. The Muzak nauseates me, the traffic leaves me terrified, and under plastic holly and blinking lights, my low-level disgust of crowds often crescendos into an impassioned, vitriolic loathing of all humanity. Which doesn't exactly put me in the holiday spirit. So it made no sense, these crisply penned gift cards bearing my name and theirs, attached to normal, thoughtful, often even lavish presents. By this year, they, and millions of other Americans, are likely to be in on the secret.
Internet shopping is the most efficient way to tackle a gift list.
But many consumers who are perfectly at home banking, browsing and learning on the Internet still fear cyber shopping. They worry about divulging credit-card information, they cringe over shipping costs, and they fear difficult return policies. All of these are valid concerns, and most of them are addressed by the competent people who put together commercial sites. The site also offers free shipping and allows customers to return merchandise at local stores. Smaller stores, or stores that exist only online, are likely to have less-generous policies, but typically the shipping costs and return procedures are comparable to those established by catalogs.