Gift card heads up

[yendi]

It's not news, but this NY Times story makes the risks involved in giving/getting retail gift cards pretty clear. I generally prefer only getting Amazon gift certs (I spend them fast enough, I'll always want something there and there doesn't seem to be a bankruptcy on the horizon there), and Shaw's (or Stop and Shop) gift cards, where we'll spend money every week, and the card is, for all intents and purposes, as good as cash.