What do women think about receiving gift certificates, for various occasion?

I would not mind shopping, but my gf has a very refinded taste, and if I pick out something that she does not like I would have to go through the process of returning and exchangin etc etc. Instead I was thinking of getting her a gift certificate to a spa or some store where she usually shops at.





I am not sure what she wil think about receiving gift certificates, so I want to know what women think about recieving gift cert?

What do women think about receiving gift certificates, for various occasion?
I think this is ultimately a personal preference, not necessarily gender based. My husband can't stand gift certificates, he thinks the gift giver is lazy. Me on the other hand, I think it's smart, why waste money getting a gift you aren't certain the person will want, appreciate or desire?
Reply:Gift certificates suck! They are so impersonal. The day at the spa sounds wonderful, but what you need to do is to plan the day for her. Pick the treatments that you know she would enjoy and book them. Plan for a special dinner at the end of the spa treatment or a lunch in the middle. My husband did that for me last year and I really appreciated it. It showed that he knew me enough to know what treatments I wanted and it showed that he cared enough to invest the time into arranging for the whole thing. It took all of the decision making off of me. Trust me, she will love it!
Reply:I would appreciate the iffyness of the gift... This way I could purchase exactly what I wanted... But some woman think that is in-personal and not thought provoking...





Sucks to be you.. I guess evaluate the person you think she is... When all else fails, food is good... Take her to dinner, and invite her to the spa, and you join in the fun... Go to a couples massage session, or both have mani and pedis done...





She'd think more of you for having participated than just pretty much giving her cash...





Just a thought.
Reply:Your girlfriend sounds spoiled if you have had to take some of her gifts back more than once. Most normal people that recieve a gift don't give it back to the person to take back, they politely take the gift as if they like it and then return it by themselves without the giver knowing. If she has a problem with you getting her a gift certificate than I would just take it back and use it for yourself and tell her she can buy her own presents if yours are never good enough. Or you could tell her the gift certificate is for her but the whole day you will take her around shopping and out to eat when she decides to use it.
Reply:I love gift certificates!
Reply:That would be great for spa.
Reply:Depends on the girl. Anyone who would return a gift is completely rude and clearly doesn't care about your feelings.





I'd get a her a cert if she had a trend of returning my gifts.





To some people it's the thought that counts, to some others it's clearly not.
Reply:Personally, I don't have a problem with gift certificates. They are little impersonal, but you know she will like her gift if she gets to pick it out herself. I like shopping but my budget is limited, so I like it when I get a certificate to a store that I like.





But, I think the best type of gift certificate would be to a spa. I've even given spa certificates for baby shower gifts (it was a special expectant mother-type treatment). I love going to the spa, but it can be expensive - so it's great when someone gives you a day at the spa!!





You could even go with her (some will do couple's massage where you both are in the same room and can hold hands) and then it's more like a planned trip instead of "Here dear, I didn't know what to get you so..."





Reddevil's idea of the robe and slippers as an add-on is great too, or an "at home" spa basket as someone else suggested to go with the certificate.
Reply:how about get a gift basket with a bunch of her favorite food or dessert in it (not TOO much or, well, you get the point). get stuff like cookies, cupcakes, etc. make sure the card is in the basket. :) oh, flowers would be nice and balloons. maybe a stuffed animal.


well, this idea could work if you're still in school lol.
Reply:A day at the spa sounds wonderful. You could make it really special by putting the certificate in a fancy silver frame (or something else) instead of just handing her an envelop.





But to her favorite store probably not - I would not care for it!
Reply:They're a tad impersonal to some people, so if you give your gf ONLY a gift certificate it may seem a little cold. Maybe you could give it her in a unique way, like wrap it in a fancy package so she has something to open other than a card. Or, you could get her something a little smaller to go with the gift certificate like a little teddy bear or something, or something else that you know she'll enjoy to personalize it a bit.





EDIT: I would just like to add that the spa gift certificate is indeed a good idea. I agree with Professor C that if you get a gift card for her, DON'T get it to a store.
Reply:Men do this alllll the time and everytime the girl flips. We don't want a freakin gift certificate, we want you to think about us and we basically want you to prove yourself every xmas, bday, valentines day or anniversaries. And if you plan on staying with her, get her something. It really doesn't even have to be the best present ever. Jewelry always works, but if you hard hard pressed for money, go to a store that has nice girly stuff (sephora- which they have online too, or even victorias secret) and get her one of the spa baskets, but get her something on the side too (nice chocolate maybe?)





Whatever you do, nix the gift certificate.
Reply:A spa gift certificate is a great gift. Getting her a gift to Fred Myer or something like that says you know nothing about her.