Hopefully you weren’t planning on traveling today, 2/2/2011, because according to this graphic, a good section of the country is in for it!

If you’re up early, you can find out what Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous groundhog, has to say at the Gobbler’s Knob over there in Western Pennsylvania – he shows up (or not) at 7 am EST. Somehow I’m sure your morning news will have full coverage between wicked storm reports.

Phil

Why not take the extra time you might have from staying home from work, school, or travel and browse Best Buy online for the new LED-LCD HDTV, or 3D TV you’re dying to get for Super Bowl XLV. Right now Plastic Jungle has discounted Best Buy eGift Cards (eCODEs) ready for you to snap up (you receive them within hours of purchase, via email).

Another idea is to head to the theater for a few entertaining Oscar-nominated movies, like The King’s Speech or The Social Network. Other eCODEs in stock at Plastic Jungle include Fandango, which allows you to buy tickets at just about any theater chain.

Or start fantasizing about Spring Break by shopping for a bathing suit using eCODEs from Gap, Old Navy or Banana Republic, offering up to a 12% discount off the eGift Cards’ face value. (The gift cards from Gap-brand stores are interchangeable!) The stores currently have their “Spring Lookbook”s online. You can now toggle between the Sale Pages on each of the sites with a handy “QuickLink” button located at the lower right of each sale page.

Best Non-Spending (Actually Fund-Raising) Snow Day Idea of All Time: Take a minute to think about where your unused gift cards are and log on to PlasticJungle.com. Sell those unused gift cards and find the extra money hanging around your house. Are your cards possibly years old? They are likely still good! You can look up the value of many gift cards here on the Plastic Jungle Blog (search blog for “Check the Balance of your Gift Card” Posts) or search the blog for your retailer’s name. Getting a payment can always brighten your day.

I’m writing to you from sunny California. According to the National Weather Service, while there are great swaths of pink and purple and blue out in the rest of the country, they have marked us “beige” for the time being.

Let us know what you’re going to do on your snow day, or what you would do if given a free day off. I’d probably take my dog to the beach! Enjoy Groundhog Day, 2011.

Because the cards are interchangeable, you can use this information to check the balance on Gift Cards from all Gap, Inc. Brands:

•Gap    •Old Navy       •Banana Republic      •Athleta          •Piperlime.com

When you look at it, about 1.3 million people “Like” Gap stores on Facebook. That’s a lot of people – and helps demonstrate the versatility of the apparel-maker’s easy style. With that many customers even willing to say it out loud, it’s likely you, or at least one of your friends, like Gap brands too.

By keeping inventory fresh in stores and online, Gap keeps shoppers’ interest piqued; lucky for us bargain hunters it means they’re also clearing out stock on a regular basis with sales from 20-70% off (see their “Sale” tab at Gap.com)  – not to mention the hot clearance deals to be found at GapOutlets and GapFactory stores. (See the Store Locator link, below.)

Discounts at Gap and Gap.com
Need to know what Gap’s promotions are on right now? Go to the store-affiliated Gap-Coupons.com blog for the latest on Gap sales and deals: this includes discount offers, free shipping offers, sales, coupons, deals and of course, Gap news.

Still, you can get an even bigger bargain when you buy a discounted gift card from Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Athleta, or Piperlime.com here at Plastic Jungle. On Plastic Jungle, the cards will ship for free and have no fees. So set an alert on any or all of these interchangeable gift cards, and you’ll be the first to know when the gift cards come into Plastic Jungle inventory, and a fresh discount is to be had.

One Card, So Many Apparel Options
That’s right: the Gap GiftCard may be redeemed for merchandise at any Gap brand, Old Navy, Banana Republic, or Athleta location, including GapOutlet and GapFactory stores. Gap GiftCards may also be redeemed for merchandise at gap.com, oldnavy.com, bananarepublic.com, piperlime.com or athleta.com. The cards from all five retailers are interchangeable. For more information specific to eGift Cards, go to the Gap Brands eGift Card FAQ page.

Checking the Balance on a Gap GiftCard or eGiftcard

ONLINE: Go to the Gap GiftServices page where you’ll be able to check balance in a few clicks. Or, you can check the balance on a gift card on the Billing Page in “Checkout” or in “Your Account”. In both places, you will see a link to “Check Balance.” You can then enter the 16-digit gift card number and the 4-digit PIN on the back of your card and click “Check Balance”.

IN-STORE: Check the Gap Store Locator (includes GapOutlet)

BY PHONE: Gap Customer Service: 1-800-427-7895 (1-800-GAP-STYLE)

Sell or Exchange Your Gap GiftCard or eGiftCard
Once you’ve acquired your Gap GiftCard balance, you can sell or exchange your Gap brand gift card to Plastic Jungle. At Plastic Jungle, you can also trade your Gap GiftCard for an Amazon.com Gift Card, Facebook credits (on Facebook.com), and even fund your PayPal account.

To know how much your Gap Gift Card is worth in exchange on Plastic Jungle, on the main page, click “Sell Gift Cards” at the top of the page. Look up “Gap”, enter the gift card balance you’ve just acquired, and you’ll see instantly what your gift card balance is worth in cash or trade.

Check other Plastic Jungle blog posts for the same “Check Your Gift Card Balance” information for other stores, including Sears, Land’s End, Macy’s, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and more.