Gift Cards You Loved in August – Guess Who’s #1?

After three consecutive months at spot #4, Target took first place finish in revenue as Plastic Jungle’s best-selling discounted gift card in August 2011.

Before we get to the usual suspects on the list, let’s talk about some honorary mentions.

Pottery Barn had a strong showing at #11 and was THIS CLOSE to making the Top Ten. And if the list were based on quantity instead of revenue, BP & Arco and Shell would have made the cut. (Everyone needs gas, right!?)

Get a Pottery Barn discounted gift card today at 10% off. As of press time, less than 20 cards are available, so stock up now while supplies last.

Gift cards to our gas merchants get snatched up as quickly as the changing fuel prices. While we don’t have any BP & Arco or Shell cards currently in stock, you can always sign up for email notifications and we’ll let you know when more become available.

Here’s the complete list of the top sellers in August 2011:

#1 Target – 3% off!

#2 Home Depot – 7% off!

#3 Lowe’s – 7% off!

#4 Walmart – 2% off!

#5 Best  Buy – 5% off!

#6 Kohl’s – 16% off!

#7 Macy’s – 7% off!

#8 JCPenney – 14% off!

#9 Abercrombie  & Fitch – no cards currently available, but click here to get notified when we more come in stock.

#10 Sears – 8% off!

With the holiday season approaching, it will be interesting to see who stays on the list and who makes their debut. Any predictions for September?

What were we buying in July? Plastic Jungle’s top 10 list is here!

While there weren’t any big retail holidays last month (does National Ice Cream Month count?!), the warm summer weather likely drove shoppers outside, strolling stores and buying items for fun summer activities.

Many of the usual favorite gift cards made their appearance on the top 10 list, including Lowe’s and Home Depot. July was a great time to work on landscaping and outdoor projects, so no doubt our Junglers took advantage of discounted gift cards to these home improvement giants.

It’s no surprise that Walmart and Target made the cut as well, since both super centers offer thousands of products at exceptionally low prices. And as one-stop shops, we can buy everything from camping supplies to pool toys to clothes for the whole family in just one place.

One merchant that made its debut on the list was Abercrombie & Fitch. Known for their casual clothing designed for the modern collegiate lifestyle, students ditched their school books for new cool summer duds.

Here’s the complete list:

#10 Sears – currently offered at 9% off!

#9 Abercrombie & Fitch - currently offered at 9% off!

#8 JC Penney - currently offered at 14% off!

#7 Kohl’s - currently offered at 16% off!

#6 Macy’s - none are available right now, but sign up for our Notification Alert and we’ll let you know when more pop up!

#5 Best Buy – currently offered at 5% off!

#4 Target - currently offered at 3% off!

#3 Walmart - none are available right now, but sign up for our Notification Alert and we’ll let you know when more pop up!

#2 Home Depot – currently offered at 7% off!

#1 Lowe’s – currently offered at 7% off!

Have any unused gift cards you’d like to sell to get one of these favorites instead? Plastic Jungle will buy your unused gift cards for up to 92% of their value!

With summer closing in and fall around the corner, what gift cards are you buying right now? Which of your favorites do you think will make the August list?

• In-store only
• Valid through September 17, 2011
• While supplies last

• Free shipping on kids purchases over $50, including shoes
• Promo code “SCHOOL”
• Extra 15% off
• Extra 10% select departments
• Valid through August 8, 2011

 
THE CHILDREN’S PLACE

• 25% off Uniforms and Backpacks
• Limited time
• Online only

 
KOHL’S

• Biggest Back-to-School Sale
• 200 Power Hour Specials
• Friday, August 5th and Saturday, August 6th
• Online and In-store
• Get $10 Kohl’s Cash for every $50 spent

APPLE STORE

When you buy a qualifying new Mac with Apple education pricing, you’ll get a free $100 Back to School Card to use on the Mac App Store, the App Store, the iTunes Store and the iBookstore. Valid through September 20, 2011.

Who qualifies?

• College students or students accepted to college
• Parents buying for college students or students accepted to college
• Faculty or staff members at any level

What gift cards topped your shopping list in June? Surprisingly, almost the exact same ones, in the same order as last month – but with a little twist.

Home improvement giants continued to top the list, with Home Depot and Lowe’s ranked at #1 and #2. The secret is out – builders, subcontractors and professional handymen can increase their margins by buying discounted gift cards from Plastic Jungle. Both Home Depot and Lowe’s cards are currently offered at 7% off, immediately shaving costs and adding profit to the bottom line.

And it’s not just skilled experts that enjoyed savings. With June graduations and the Father’s Day holiday, Home Depot and Lowe’s gift cards made terrific gifts for the home improvement hobbyist.

Walmart and Target again ranked #3 and #4 respectively. As one-stop shopping centers, Junglers saved on nearly everything under the sun, including house wares, toys, clothing, electronics, and even groceries. With 3% discounted gift cards stacked on top of Walmart and Target’s already uber-competitive low prices, these cards get swiped up fast, so sign up for a notification alert to get first access.

Best Buy again ranked #5. A great source for computers, video games, televisions, digital cameras, mp3 players, mobile phones & appliances, Best Buy gift cards likely made for some great Father’s Day and Graduation gifts as well.

The next three spots were filled by clothing department stores: Macys (#6), Kohl’s (#7) and JC Penney (#8). Perhaps our Junglers were freshening up their summer wardrobe with new shorts, tanks, sundresses, swimsuits and sandals. All three merchants have darling summer clothing collections on sale now, as they make room for their fall and back-to-school collections.

The Apple Store held spot #9. Our family celebrated the end of school and good report cards with a new iPhone for my daughter, a new iTouch for my son and a new Nano for mama (I deserved a little treat for helping with all the homework and packing lunches all year long, right?!) Apple Store gift cards are quite popular, so be sure to plan ahead and sign up for an email alert when they become available.

Rounding out the Top 10 was Barnes & Noble. (Cabela’s filled this spot in May.) A popular go-to, slam-dunk teacher’s gift is always a Barnes & Noble gift card. Was your child’s teacher the lucky recipient of one of these end-of-the-school-year gifts?

Special Honorary Mention goes out to iTunes, who ranked #6 in quantity (vs. revenue), with a whopping 6,125 cards sold in June. That’s a lot of TV, video, movie, app and music downloads!

These Top 10 gift cards are just the tip of the iceberg (or should we say tip of the palm tree?) Plastic Jungle has  nearly 400 brands, with discounted gift cards offered up to 35% off. Click here to see what hot cards we’ve got up for sale now!

Forget personalized coffee mugs, engraved plaques and fruit-of-the-month incentives. Other than cold hard cash, gift cards consistently rank as a popular Employee Recognition gift.

With increasingly diverse workforces, it’s nearly impossible to please everyone. Some employees might appreciate that nice bottle of cabernet, whereas others might be coveting that motivational poster or desk plant to brighten up their office. And there’s always the logo merchandise – while companies have the right intention, employees might want to ditch their “work hat” after hours and ditch their company logo hat as well.

So what employee gift can guarantee that one size fits all? Gift Cards!

The options are endless: restaurants, spa services, electronics, home improvement, clothing, jewelry, travel and more – there’s something for everyone. Enlightened managers know what makes their employees tick, so they can tailor gift cards for each of their staff members. Employees are then empowered to purchase what they want, when they want.

As an employer, buying discounted gift cards from Plastic Jungle for your employees is easy. You save money (up to 35%), get FREE shipping and receive your gift cards in just 4 to 6 days.

Here are some of Plastic Jungle’s most popular gift cards:

Target – 3% off

Bath & Body Works – 12% off

Kohl’s – 15% off

Home Depot – 6% off

As an employee, what if your employer was a bit off base and got you a gift card you don’t want or need? Sell it back to Plastic Jungle! We’ll buy your gift card for up to 92% of its value in exchange for an Amazon.com gift card, Cashier’s Check or PayPal credit.

Simple yet relevant, gift cards are a great choice for employers and employees alike. And they’ll probably garner more oohs and aahs than a fruit-of-the-month gift basket.

Money grows on trees here at Plastic Jungle, and that’s especially the case when you pair eCODEs with in-store and online discounts.

We love eCODEs (electronic gift cards) because they can be used just like a regular gift card. The difference? No waiting for the postman! And no plastic card, no paper envelope, no packaging or fuel for shipping. You just select your favorite merchant, buy your discounted gift card and voila! The eCODEe instantly arrives in your email inbox for immediate use.

Plastic Jungle offers over 30 merchants with eCODEs, with more being added all the time. Look for the eCODE icon or view the complete list here.

Want to save money FAST? Check out these current deals:

Bed, Bath & Beyond – buy a gift card from Plastic Jungle for 10% off, then stack it with their 20% coupon for a total of 30% off!

If you aren’t already on their mailing list for coupons, you can sign up here.

Kohl’s – buy a discounted gift card for 15% off, then use promo code “STACK15” at Kohls.com to get an extra 15% off everything through July 2, 2011. That’s total of 30% off!

JC Penney – buy a discounted gift card at Plastic Jungle for 14% off + save $10 on a $50 purchase through July 10, 2011. Click here to get this coupon, or can also text NEW10 on your phone to 527365

Deals don’t last long, so if your favorite gift card is temporarily out of stock, never fear! You can sign up for our email notification to get customized alerts.

Plastic Jungle would have to disagree with Kermit the Frog on this one – it’s actually easy being green.

What gift cards topped your shopping list last month?

After being cooped up for a long winter, shoppers were ready to get some fresh air and visit their favorite big-box retail stores. Nearly all of the gift cards in the Top 10 were to superstore chains. And with Cinco de May, Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, there were plenty of holidays to celebrate.

Home Depot and Lowe’s topped the list (#1 and #2 respectively). Perhaps many of you were tackling home improvement projects or shopping ahead for Father’s Day.  Nearly 10,000 Home Depot gift cards were purchased – that’s Jungle-riffic!  Did you paint a nursery?  Re-tile a bathroom?  Build new shelving?  Not only are our Plastic Jungle friends savvy shoppers you are also quite handy!  We’d love to hear your home improvement stories and see pictures of your new-and-improved abodes.

Here’s your Top 10 Most-Wanted list for May:

#1 Home Depot – buy today for 7% off!

#2 Lowe’s – buy today for 7% off!

#3 Walmart – no gift cards currently available but check back soon or get set up on a notification alert. New gift cards are added all the time!

#4 Target – buy today for 3% off!

#5 Best Buy – buy today for 5% off!

#6 Macy’s – no gift cards currently available but check back soon or get set up on a notification alert. New gift cards are added all the time!

#7 Kohl’s – buy today for 15% off!

#8 JC Penney – buy today for 14% off!

#9 Apple Store - no gift cards currently available but check back soon or get set up on a notification alert. New gift cards are added all the time!

#10 Cabela’s – buy today for 10% off!

And check this out – the top six also made an appearance in the May 2010 Top 10 list. Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Macy’s have been solid merchants year-to-year.

What are YOUR favorite gift cards this month? Can you predict who will top the charts in June?