Hawaiian Gift Card Ban on Fees Begins July 1, 2005

Hawaii's new gift card law will soon take effect. Beginning July 1st of 2005, retailers will be prohibited from levying a fee on consumers for not using gift cards. Executive director of the Hawaiian State Office of Consumer Protection, Stephen H. Levins, stated, "They can no longer charge a dormancy fee if the cards aren't being used."

Several merchants offering gift cards currently charge a monthly maintenance fee if the gift card continues to have a balance after six months or a year. Hawaii is among twelve other states that have passed legislation curbing or regulating fees and other penalties. Currently it is also illegal in Hawaii for stores to offer a gift card that expires in less than two years. An expiration date must come after two years from date of purchase. In 2004 U.S. consumers puchased $45 billion worth of gift cards.

Wedding Gift Ideas Offered on Early Show of CBS Network

The CBS Network Early Show recently hosted Kiplinger's Personal Finance spokesperson, Vera Gibbons, where she offered insider tips and advice on saving money on choosing wedding gifts. Ms. Gibbons stated, "Ultimately it depends on your relationship with the bride, groom or both. But it's not required to go to everything, particularly if you're just a casual acquaintance and it involves travel. One thing you do want to do, though, is RSVP. That's just good manners."

Referring to the 'The Wedding Channel', Gibbons reminded viewers that the average wedding engagement gift amount is about $35, and a wedding shower gift has an average of $25. Regarding wedding gift ideas, Gibbons stated the wedding gift is most commonly based on the giver's relationship with the bride and the groom, in combination with the giver's budget. "If you're a college grad and you spend just $50, that's perfectly acceptable. They wouldn't want you to break the bank. They want to you go to their wedding," continued Gibbons.

Additional ways to save include choosing personalized wedding gifts. Gibbons said, "If you can't afford the expensive china that they registered for, for example, give them a nice place setting and enclose a copy of an old family recipe. Put together a scrapbook or photo album or some of your more memorable moments. This is the kind of thing that can really go a long way." Another possibility is offering your talent. She added, "If you can sing, play the guitar, or have some other special talent, show it off. This is something they'll remember for forever and it won't matter that you only spent $50 or less on the actual gift."

Wedding Gifts to Favored Charities Increasingly More Common

According to wedding gift industry insiders, there is a growing trend in making charitable donations instead of buying wedding gifts. Affluent brides and grooms are increasingly redirecting friends and family to charities that include the Alzheimer’s Society, Cancer Research, Amnesty International, Friends of the Earth, Oxfam and others. One recently married couple said, “We had lots of stuff so we wanted to get rid of things before we got married. We wanted to ask our guests to instead donate to charity." According to wedding gift industry sources the average wedding has raised about $1,500 for various causes and charities. With the average age of marrying couples at 35 for men and 32 for women experts believe more people are likely to avoid traditional wedding lists and choose more benevolent wedding gift-giving plans.

Steak Branding Irons Expected to Soar in Sales As Father's Day Gift Idea

Sources for the gift industry recently reported personalized steak branding irons are expected to be popular father's day gifts in 2005. Several different manufacturers offering various father's day gift BBQ branding irons are featuring designs that include western themed brands, letter brands and major college branding irons for BBQ cookouts, picnics and tailgate parties.

Beyond fathers day gift ideas, recent reports reveal branding irons are gaining popularity in corporate gift, wedding gift and Christmas gift categories. Manufacturers have engineered the implements to heat on grills during the meat cooking process. Other styles currently on the market include mini-brands which can be heat up simply with a lighter.