Gift Cards are now the most popular gift item for the holidays. According to a recent survey by the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend an average of $145.61 on gift cards, up from $139.91 last year. If you are one of the millions of people planning on gifting gift cards this year, here are four (4) places you can conveniently buy gift cards in person. These stores were selected based on the wide range of gift cards they offer.
Local Grocery Stores
Almost all major grocery stores now have a gift card rack displaying over a hundred different gift cards, from department store, restaurant, book stores, electronics stores, entertainment, sports and outdoors and many more. You will surely find a gift card to fit your need at your local grocery store. If you have a Safeway in your neighborhood or affiliates like Vons, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Genuardi’s or Carrs, you are in luck. That is because Safeway owns Blackhawk Network, which is one of the largest gift card distributer and owner of the “Gift Card Mall” racks that you see in many grocery stores.
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart has one of the largest selections of gift cards. Walk into a Wal-Mart store and you will not miss the large gift card racks close to the checkout lanes. Popular gift cards include American Express, iTunes, and AMC Movie theaters, Chilis, Applebees, Outback Steakhouse, Pizza Hut and more. Gift cards come in come in denominations of $25, $50, $100, up to $1000
Walgreens & CVS
Most pharmacies now carry gift cards. But we selected Walgreen and CVS because of the large range of cards they carry. You are also likely to find gift card holders at these stores, which makes gift card giving much more pleasant.
Convenience Stores
Most convenience stores carry a limited amount of gift cards, like popular restaurants, bookstores and entertainment cards. If you are out of time and need to grab a gift card quickly, try your local convenience store like 7-Eleven and you will be able to find a gift card. Granted, your choice is limited but that’s what you get with a convenience store.