Your brother and sister-in-law are expanding their family.  Your high school friend is getting married.  Show you care and save money by giving the gift of Plastic Jungle gift cards to your family and friends.

We’ve all been there.  The invitation came in the mail and weeks later you still had no what to purchase.  Dread of how other guests will respond when your beloved in-law or friend unwraps your gift lingers in you mind.

You look up their gift registry online and notice they are registered for gift cards. If you buy the gift registry gift cards from Plastic Jungle you save money and fulfill their gift registry, too.

Give the gift the never goes out of style.  Give the gift of a Plastic Jungle gift card.

Baby gifts and wedding presents, buy discount JCPenney gift cards from Plastic Jungle.

Home decor or baby clothing, buy discount Target gift cards from Plastic Jungle.

Cookware and dining room accessories, buy discount Williams-Sonoma gift cards from Plastic Jungle.

Gift giving just got easier and less expensive when you shop for gift registry gift cards from Plastic Jungle.

The PJ 10

What were we buying in March? Well, there weren’t any spectaular retail “events” that drove us to specialty stores, so as expected the top three gift card sellers were big box chains offering groceries and fishing supplies and everything in-between. Spring was a bit late late this year, so clearly we were driven to hot, caffeinated coffee, putting Starbucks into our Top 10 Gift Cards in March. And iTunes, with the diversity of media on offer these days, from music to books to TV and movies, proves it’s a great gift card to give and get.

Honorable mentions from March? JC Penney, Pottery Barn, Cabela’s, Barnes & Noble, and Nordstrom.

Salivating over the potential savings at a favorite store? If you’re ready to ditch your unused gift card and trade up to one of the favorites, you can safely and securely SELL or EXCHANGE your gift card on Plastic Jungle, with many different payout and trade options, including an Amazon.com Gift Card, Facebook credits and Paypal account funding.

Top 10 Gift Cards in March, 2011

10 SEARS

Purchase discount Sears Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 9% OFF.

9 KOHL’S

Purchase discount Kohl’s Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 14% OFF.

8 STARBUCKS

Purchase discount Starbucks Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle — when they come into stock. Set an Alert Now.

7 MACY’S

Purchase discount Macy’s Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle — when they come into stock. Set an Alert Now.

6 BEST BUY

Purchase discount Best Buy Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 5% OFF.

5 LOWE’S

Purchase discount Lowe’s Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 7% OFF.

4 iTUNES

Purchase discount iTunes Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 7% OFF.

3 TARGET

Purchase discount Target Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 5% OFF.

2 HOME DEPOT

Purchase discount Home Depot Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 7% OFF.

1 WALMART

Purchase discount Walmart Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle — when they become available. Set an Alert Now.

What’s your favorite gift card of the moment? Something to get ready for spring — sporting goods or travel? Let us know in the comments below.

February saw the Superbowl, the Oscars, Valentine’s Day, and Presidents’ Day all packed into a few short weeks. Plus, a few frozen moments across the country kept shoppers inside and online, no doubt.

Many of the usual favorite gift cards showed up in February’s Top Ten, plus a very conspicuous hanger-on at #11, giving hope to all girlfriends, wives, and mothers out there for something a little more than a card.

I’m thinking the bridal business might be busy this year, because TIFFANY & CO came in at #11 on the sales chart. (Right now, there are no discounted Tiffany & Co gift cards for sale on Plastic Jungle. You can set a Tiffany & Co alert to be notified via email when gift cards become available.)

Where did lingerie retailer VICTORIA’S SECRET land during the month for love? Still in the top 50, at #28, but well behind #9, CABELA’S.

10 JCPENNEY

Purchase discount JCPenney Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 14% Off.

9 CABELA’S

Purchase discount Cabela’s Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently up to 12% off.

8 BARNES & NOBLE

Purchase discount Barnes & Noble Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 9% Off.

7 KOHL’S

Purchase discount Kohl’s Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 14% Off.

6 MACY’S

Purchase discount Macy’s Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle — when they come into stock. Set an Alert Now.

5 LOWE’S

Purchase discount Lowe’s Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 7% Off.

4 WALMART

Purchase discount Walmart Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 3% Off.

3 BEST BUY

Purchase discount Best Buy Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 6% Off.

2 TARGET

Purchase discount Target Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 3% Off.

1 HOME DEPOT

Purchase discount Home Depot Gift Cards on Plastic Jungle, currently at up to 7% Off.

Ready to ditch your unused gift card and trade up to one of the favorites? You can safely and securely SELL your gift card on Plastic Jungle, with many different payout options.

What’s your favorite gift card of the moment? Something to get ready for spring — sporting goods or travel? Let us know in the comments below.

Work is dragging. You’ve got an event coming up. The kids are outgrowing everything from toys to socks. NCAA March Madness is your inspiration to get a new TV. All the spring magazines have you itching to update your wardrobe. And please, anything to not see Charlie Sheen on a headline!

Time to find an exciting sale. Cheap shoes, Michigan sweatshirts, HDTVs, and sale clothes are just a click away. And remember, you can add to your savings by purchasing a discounted gift card to pay for your hot sale finds.

Our first stop would be Sale.com, whose home page is a shopping addict’s crack, compiling some of the best apparel discounts on the web. Enter the retailer you’d love to see a sale from, ie Abercrombie, and voila, the site’s sale page pops in, along with a list of promotions and offers. Sign up for Sale.com alerts to get first crack at fresh promotions, coupons, deals, and sale merchandise.

Sales on Now around the Web:

Nordstrom:

Get Women’s Coats on sale for up to 40% off.

Shop Nordstrom’s Shoe Clearance – hurry, this is a hot one and the best brands and styles sell out fast.

Shop Nordstrom’s Designer Collection Sale for quality-made on-trend brands and looks.

Aeropostale:

Save big with Aeropostale’s Spring Break Sale featuring $9 Camis and Graphic T-shirts for girls and guys.

Best Buy:

Act now to save 5%-15% on a wide selection of HDTVs on brands including RCA, Philips, Samsung, LG, and Panasonic.

JCPenney:

Time to freshen up the house with JCP’s Spring Home Sale, where you’ll save 30-60% off housewares, linens, and more.

Shop deep discounts on JCP’s Clearance page, with final markdowns at up to 80% off retail.

Zappos:

This online retailer always has free shipping & returns – but have you found Zappo’s Sale page? Shop shoes from 100’s of brands, as well as accessories and clothes on sale. Even hard-to-find men’s shoes are on sale here. Yippee!

PetSmart:

Get deals on thousands of items, from Kong to Advantix & Advantage flea & tick products online and in stores at PetSmart’s Everything Spring Sale.

Borders:

It’s a shame Borders is closing so many stores, but their loss is your gain. Find clearance merchandise in the stores that are closing; here’s a list of closing Borders stores. As well, get to Borders Hot Deals / Weekly Deals page to score discounts on remainders, music under $10, and even bestsellers and upcoming new releases.

Right now, get up to 15% off a Borders Gift Card on Plastic Jungle >>>

Sports Authority:

The NCAA Final Four is around the corner and it’s time to gear up! Save on NCAA gear for the entire family at the SportsAuthority.com Outlet – Fan Gear page, and most of it will ship for only 99 cents!

If you’ve got a “slow-day shopping distraction” ritual, please share it in the comments of this page. Remember, if you’ve got time on your hands, maybe you could create a little cash flow by trading in your unused gift cards. Thank me later! And be prepared, the weekend is almost here.

It’s Deal Time! As the web’s largest secured gift card exchange, Plastic Jungle gives shoppers choice and flexibility with funds they’ve got trapped on gift cards. If you’d like to sell your gift card, take a look at all the safe and quick options Plastic Jungle offers. See your options when you Sell or Swap gift cards on Plastic Jungle now >>>

Now, let’s take a look at only a few of the key discounted cards for sale on Plastic Jungle (at time of writing — hurry, supplies are limited!):

American Eagle Outfitters – discounts up to 14% off.

FYE — discounts up to 17% off. FYE is a music & movie retailer.

JCPenney – discounts up to 14% off with eCODEs available too – save on purchases today!

Olive Garden – discounts up to 10% off — also good at may also be used at any Red Lobster, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze or any other Darden restaurant.

Starbucks — discounts up to 9% off

AMC Theatres — discounts up to 16% off

Go to a complete listing of discounted gift cards for sale right now on Plastic Jungle >>>

Friday Gift Card Giveaways & Sweepstakes

This week we take you to the savings blogs. Coupon-cutting has entered the modern age and the best way to find elusive deals is to troll the savings blogs. You’ll find one for every segment, from technology geeks to mommies to fashionistas, and I’ll bet every one of us falls into each of those segments at least once a day.

MyBargainBuddy.com – Enter to win a $50 Kohl’s Gift Card. Just submit your info (no Byzantine follows or reports required) and let Karen know whether or not you want her email newsletter on retail bargains up to 90% off. Drawing to take place on 3/1/11; see details on the MyBargainBuddy.com giveaway page.

CouponingFor4.com – Enter to win one of 10 $10 Amazon Gift Certificates. You are eligible to win one of five by leaving a comment on the Giveaway blog post. To be eligible for one of the other five, become a Facebook fan of CouponingFor4.com. See the Giveaway blog post for details; drawing takes place 3/2/11 at about 10 pm CST.

TechBargains.com – Enter to win an iPad. Well, it’s not a gift card or an egift card, but we didn’t think you’d mind winning an iPad with 32GB and WiFi + 3G – a $729 value. To enter, subscribe to the new TechBargains YouTube Channel, or become a fan of TechBargains on Facebook. The last day to enter the contest is 2/28 and the winner will be announced on the site shortly after; for details see TechBargains’ iPad Giveaway contest rules. Be sure to share the giveaway link with your friends because we’re going to ask the winner how they heard about the giveaway and the site. If they name you, then you’ll win a $100 American Express gift card.

PassionforSavings.com – Enter to win a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card. Entering is easy, Just sign up for Free Email Updates or Subscribe to the Passion for Savings RSS Feed. You can also follow on Facebook or Twitter. Each method gets you one entry into the giveaway. The winner will be selected at the end of the month. See giveaway page for details.

WellHeeledBlog.com – Enter to win a $100 Amazon.com Gift Card. This site about personal finance and savvy living is handing out a $100 Amazon.com Gift Card thanks to MrRebates.com. It’s complicated, so visit the Well Heeled Blog giveaway page for details and info on both informative sites. Deadline is Wednesday March 3 at midnight PST.

Won anything yet? Let us know… and let us know: Would you rather enter a big sweepstakes with thousands of entries or little giveaways where your chances are better, but the prizes are smaller?

Have a great weekend — shop away!

‘Tis the season for returning, and if you’ve just returned a gift and don’t have the heart to get back in there and surf the sales, you might take advantage of the fact that many people do, creating a hot market for the gift card you now hold.

JCPenney Gift Cards can pay for salon services in some areas, too!

Take JCPenney, for example. This mid-priced department store, catalog and online store has hot bargains daily on great brands including Levi’s, Sephora cosmetics, and Liz Claiborne. JCPenney is also a top store for Big & Tall men’s clothing. Some of their retail stores even feature specialty services including salons, custom decorating and portrait picture taking.

The JCPenney Gift Card is redeemable for merchandise or services (excluding gift cards) at JCPenney Stores in the United States or Puerto Rico, jcp.com and JCPenney catalog.

Check your JCPenney Gift Card or JCPenney e-Gift Card Balance

PHONE: 1-800-322-1189

ONLINE: Check the balance of your JCPenney gift card or e-gift card

IN-STORE: Check the store locator for a location near you

Once you’ve acquired your balance, you can easily and securely sell your JCPenney Gift Card to Plastic Jungle, and save yourself the hassle of carrying around unused money. At Plastic Jungle, you can cash in your JCPenney Gift Card or eGift Card and have the funds deposited directly in your PayPal account – often instantly! You can also exchange the gift card for an Amazon.com Gift Card or choose to be paid in cash (via check). If you play games on Facebook, you can use Plastic Jungle’s gift card exchange application on Facebook to turn your gift card into Facebook Credits (you should be logged into Facebook before you search).

To know how much your JC Penney 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 JC Penney, 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.

Check the JCPenney Store Locator for one near you.

Tips for Big Savings at JCPenney

If paying full retail is never on your agenda, then this blog: JCPenney Coupons is your hot source for finding JCPenney coupon codes, discount codes and free shipping deals. You’ve also got to check Plastic Jungle to see if any discounted JC Penney gift cards are up for grabs — right now, you can save up to 14% on the gift card alone. Pair that with a coupon and/or free shipping offer, and you’re officially a savvy shopper.

Really, JCPenney itself is a great source for everyday deals. Check out their Clearance page for discounts up to 80% off!

JCPenney posts their weekly ads online so you can see what’s on sale now. You can also have sale alerts and coupons and offers sent to your mobile phone or your email inbox, when you sign up by clicking the buttons on the JCP.com homepage.

Like fine wine, the gift card has only gotten better with age. With its commercial debut as a paper certificate created by big department stores in the 1930s–certificates that were kept behind the counter and sold only at the request of select customers–the gift card has become the biggest selling gift item of all times. This trend has continued over the last five years, with sales in 2009 topping $87 million.

As with anything that witnesses such massive growth, we have to wonder about its origin and evolution. In that spirit we are going to take a trip down gift card memory lane with the following timeline of the gift card’s beginnings and history. We hope you enjoy the journey.

• Edgar Allan Funt — not to be confused with Allan Funt from Candid Camera but a practical joker nonetheless — editor of Candid Horror Writer, a 19th-century syndicated newspaper, wrote a featured column in which unsuspecting individuals were walled up inside a stone mausoleum, buried six feet under or secured in coffins for weeks without food or water, then told afterwards that they had participated in a practical joke and given a $1.50 gift certificate to the local apothecary. (Source: Wikipedia)
• 1930s — Major department stores brought the paper gift certificate to the mass market (Note, we cannot locate the name of the very first department store to do this, and would love your input if you know the answer!)
• 1970 — McDonald’s introduced its Christmas gift certificate program.
• Paper gift certificates were replaced by electronic gift certificates, also known as gift cards, in the mid-1990s. Mobil Oil Company produced the first retail gift certificate with a magnetic strip in 1995. The card, which could be used toward gas fill-ups, was built using technology borrowed from prepaid phone cards.
• Blockbuster is credited with pioneering the modern-day gift card. In 1995 they began displaying their plastic gift cards on counters for customers to buy.
• J.C. Penney created their first gift card for sale in 1996, and they were one of the first retailers to begin creating designs and innovations of the gift card.
• 1997 — Kmart is the first discount retailer to begin selling gift cards. In a partnership with AT&T, the Kmart Cash Card was used as a gift card and also as a phone calling card.
• 1999 — Target joins the mix by beginning to sell gift cards and became the leader in design innovation.
• Gift card sales grew from $19 billion in 1999 to $37 billion in 2002.
• 2001 — Starbucks creates its first gift card, establishing itself as the most successful gift card program in the world.
• Gift card design by retailers becomes all the rage. Home Depot once made a card that doubled as a tape measure, Best Buy created a gift card with built-in headphones and speakers, and last year Target had gift cards that look like toys, as well as “GiftCoins” and a “GiftSticker.”
• Present day — Racks selling gift cards from various retailers are displayed in supermarkets and convenience stores. Shoppers are regularly buying both physical and virtual gift cards online. Consumers can buy gift cards at huge savings and sell gift cards for cash (or other value) on PlasticJungle.com!

]]> http://www.plasticjungle.com/blog/2010/10/25/the-fascinating-history-behind-the-gift-card/feed/ 0 http://www.plasticjungle.com/blog/2010/09/07/stretch-back-to-school-budgets-with-gift-cards-by-giftcardgirlfriend-com/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=stretch-back-to-school-budgets-with-gift-cards-by-giftcardgirlfriend-com http://www.plasticjungle.com/blog/2010/09/07/stretch-back-to-school-budgets-with-gift-cards-by-giftcardgirlfriend-com/#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:01:45 +0000 Guest http://www.plasticjungle.com/blog/?p=1549

The following article was originally posted on GiftCardGirlFriend.com – Your Guide to Guilt-Free Gift Carding.  We’re big fans of this site and loved this article so much we asked the author if we could share it with all of our readers as well. Thanks Shelley!

With three kids going back to school (and soccer and football and scouts, etc.), my budget is tapped. We’re reusing last year’s backpacks and lunch boxes to save money, but the kids still needed a few things. So I combined gift cards and coupons to stretch the dollars a bit further. Here’s what I did:

Work It:

1. Scoured the newspaper and mailers for high discount coupons.
2. Bought discount gift cards to go along with the best coupons.

Big Savings:

For example, I received coupon for $10 off a $25 purchase at JC Penney. Then I bought a $25 JC Penney Gift Card for $21.50 at Plastic Jungle.

At JC Penney, Ally found two pairs of skinny jeans for a total of $25.99 plus a must-have, embellished top on the clearance rack for $10. The bill came to $35.99 plus tax. With our coupon and gift card, however, we paid almost nothing at the register. By combining discounts, I paid $21.5o to Plastic Jungle for essentially $35.99 in merchandise at JC Penney. That’s 40% in savings.

Going Forward:

Yes, it takes a little work and forethought. Yes, a good coupon can make all the difference. But there are stores like JC Penney, Kohls, Macy’s, and Old Navy that routinely send out special promotions. If you buy discount gift cards in advance and match ‘em up with the coupons as they arrive, you can save a lot of money.

Plan Ahead for the Holidays:

With the holidays coming up, combining gift cards with store sales and coupons could be the relief your budget is waiting for.

Shelley loves to receive gift cards. As a mom on a fairly tight budget, she rarely has money for self-indulgences like pedicures, spa treatments, and clothes not picked from the clearance rack. But if somebody gives her a gift card for such pampering, she get to shop and enjoy these experiences guilt-free. Even buying more practical items without spending my own money is a welcome treat.

We love helping our customers stretch their budget. Which is why we make it a priority to ship all gift cards for FREE. We want to keep your costs as low as possible. Xtreme shoppers know free shipping can make or break a great deal. To further your savings combine gift cards with in-store promotions, coupons, and sales.

Check out the top gift card brands purchased on PlasticJungle.com in July 2010:

1. Walmart Gift Card

2. Target Gift Card

3. The Home Depot Gift Card

4. Lowe’s Gift Card

5. Best Buy Gift Card

6. Macy’s Gift Card

7. Kohl’s Gift Card

8. Pottery Barn Gift Card

9. Tiffany & Co. Gift Card

10. JC Penney Gift Card

View gift cards you loved in January, February, March, April, May and June.

Where do you like to shop most?  I’ll tell you where your favorite store ranked in July…

Need some extra cash for your summer vacations? Sell gift cards you’ve had tucked away in your sock drawer for even more!

See our full updated list below. Note, we will give you additional value if you exchange your gift card for an Amazon.com Gift Card.  And, as always, we provide you with a prepaid shipping label (it’s on us!).

Full list of recent updates

PlasticJungle.com is now paying:

(please check our site for the most current offers)