Gift Certificates (GCs)

Generic GCs front and inside

When I first moved to Boulder, I had clients calling me before I even had my business cards printed. (Referrals from some Chicago clients.) Since I needed to be prepared when I first opened my salon, I purchased these generic gift certificates (GCs) at an office supply store so I’d have them on hand, just in case. I’m glad I did because I ended up using quite a few before I had my usual GCs printed up. These generics are nothing to write home about, but they were inexpensive—a folded card complete with envelopes. (I think I purchased them at Office Depot.) And if you aren’t planning on having GCs printed, at least have something like this on hand so if a client (or stranger) wants to purchase a gift, they can. You can always personalize the card by including a handwritten note about how you look forward to meeting the recipient when they come in to redeem their GC.

If you haven’t already, be sure to have a stamp made with your business name and address—or have labels made up. If the GC isn’t going to be mailed, put your label or stamp on the inside of the card so your business name—and phone number—is on there for the client.

Here are two different gift certificates I have available. The first one has the GC information printed inside on the notecard. The second one is a separate card that I insert into a (usually) blank notecard so the gift-giver can write a note to their loved one. Then the two pieces go into a notecard envelope.

Front of card & information printed inside the notecard

This is a separate card I put in with a (blank) notecard

If the certificate needs to be mailed, do not charge for this service! Keep stamps in your desk; all it requires is a 1st class stamp to get this mailed to the appropriate person.

Keep a record of the GCs you sell and their expiration date(s). I also put the date I sold the certificate and sometimes a code number somewhere unnoticeable on the GC. Usually, unless you sell a lot of certificates in a given date, the date suffices. Something like “09182015115” as in September 18, 2015 $115 paid or some other code you want to use. Using the date as the code helps you to reference when the GC was purchased.

I like to fill the certificates out myself so everything is legible; you can do it yourself or have the buyer fill it out. Always fill in the expiration date yourself. Depending on my business, I will have an expiration date from 6 months to one year after the date of purchase. I find people either call and come in immediately or wait until a few days before the certificate expires.

You’ll find the policies that work best for you; for me, when it comes to gift certificates, I am very flexible. I don’t believe I should get the money someone spent on this gift and not end up doing the work for it, not allowing the receiver to come in after the certificate has expired. However everything is up for review and if someone calls 6 months late—I’d have to really weigh whether or not to honor the GC.

When the recipient calls to make the appointment, I explain the same cancellation policy I have with regular paying clients: I require 24 hours notice of cancellation. If the GC recipient no-shows her appointment, unfortunately she automatically forfeits the GC; I will not honor it if she calls again. No-shows never, in my experience, ever call to come in after they have missed their appointment. If she does call, she’ll have to pay regular price for the facial, and I will be sure to get a credit card number—just in case.

No-shows (without an amazing reason) get charged in my business. You must, however, inform the client of your policies prior to her coming in. As you will read in Website ideas: My Cancellation Policy I do this live, over the phone, so I know she has heard my policy 100%.