Gift cards in my lucky chair

Hello All,

I wanted to open this topic for discussion. I've placed free gift cards in my Lucky Chairs so that people can obtain free or discounted items in my shop. The value of the cards ranges from L$25 - L$100, with an L$125 card on the Tri-to-Win chair (which takes 3 players to win). I do limit the cards' use to one per purchase, and they cannot be combined; the "one card per purchase" limit is clearly displayed by the Lucky Chairs.

Recently I spoke with someone who called me greedy because I would not combine all her free gift cards into a single card to use on a major purchase. This discussion went on for over an hour, with verbal abuse, cursing and general mean-spirited behavior directed towards me. I was quite upset but I held back as much as I could to not insult her. She posted a rather nasty forum message here:
/113/fc/181994/1.html

Now, I have 100s of items that fall within range of the gift cards. These are nice items that I could probably charge more for, but I like people to be able to pick out gifts of their choice. However, there are some higher-end items I've put a great deal of time and effort into which I simply cannot give away for free.

It's worth noting that while stores often give out free items or discounts, vouchers aren't usually combinable towards an unlimited sum... e.g. 10% off adding up to 100% or more. There are terms and conditions for free offers, and you cannot use "$20 off purchase of item" coupons multiple times or redeem them for cash. In SL there wouldn't be much reason to buy anything; a RL store would be empty and bankrupt after awhile.

So, I'd be interested in what people think:
- Should I stop giving away gift cards?
- Should I switch to items only in the chairs?
- Should I take out the lucky chairs and not give items away anymore?
- Does it make sense to combine free gift cards (practical or not)?

Thanks for your time in reading through that - I appreciate it

I love your Luckychair giftcards i won a $100 last week .
You always have 5 or more people standing at your chairs waiting for there lucky letter to be called.

I would just put up a sign or toss a notecard that giftcards will not be combined at all under any circumstances DO NOT ASK!

Tell her to return the gift card for a full refund of what she paid.

They are free from my lucky chairs so that price would be $0

You are right; she's wrong, and ungrateful to boot.

It's perfectly reasonable to have a policy of not combining the gift cards. (Should be stated somewhere, though.)

No don't stop giving away the gift cards - it sounds like a wonderful idea. They can choose what they like that way.

Don't take out the Lucky Chair. For one person who gets all cranky about it (and forgets the old adage about not looking a gift horse in the mouth), there are plenty who wouldn't dream of acting that way and who appreciate your Lucky Chair.

The gift card idea - for those, like you, who have products they can do that with - sounds like even more fun than just winning an item.

coco

keep doing what ur doing and don`t combine them or else the campers will just buy stuff for free nonstop and exhange cards to matchup

higher end products are what they are, if they don`t like a discount with the cards u give out then they should just pay the full amount

don`t give in as all sensable ppl will see trough it, whine about something they get for free and want everything free in the end

When it comes to giving away stuff you can't please anyone I have seen, heard and read a lot of bunk on these issues

as far as I am concerned you ran into a person who is there out of greed themselves. Put what you think is fair in the chair and have fun with it. No matter whatyou do someone is gonna call you names for being nice so just be secure in yourself that you are doing something decent and fun and ignore that kinda stuff

No Ms. Popfuzz, I think you misunderstand. the 2 25L giftcards are. One of the 50L giftcards are. The rest were gifts that my partner purchased. In fact, I gave inventory to you of only about half of them. Please get your facts straight before you make a direct personal attack. I didn't use your name in my post. I do believe that direct personal attacks are against TOS.

And you have to be a kid and ban someone from your store that has probably spent more money there than most of your other customers? LOL.

I know the back story to this situation and the person complaining is a complete and utter imbecile. (see the Classified Shopping category, where she made several posts against the sticky.)

She has been immortalized on the Shopping Cart Disco blog. Let this be a lesson to others: The items you get from lucky chairs are FREE, a gift from the shop owner, and you really have no rights at all in regards to them.

What was it my mother was always saying... don't look a gift horse in the mouth?



**Post Edit**

Elissa, darling, sweetheart, I don't think you get the point. YOU ARE NOT CORRECT IN THIS. Those giftcards you're holding are just what they say - GIFT cards. Given to you by POPFUZZ. Besides, the way *you* personally attacked poor Poppy, you're at a loss anyway. You cuss like a sailor.

If you had muted this idiot right away you'd have saved yourself all this trouble. As for the gift cards in the chairs, I think that's an awesome idea. I might try doing something like that myself.

linking a forum post is as much as an attack of quoting some 1, u have posted wich local residents/shoppers could know u were talking about her so in that case u are the 1 attacking and she defending

she asked for advice here, wich she got, if u don`t like free giftcards wich can`t be combined, sell them or give away and shop some where else

that she`s giving out cards so people could get what they want instead of items they prolly won`t need is a brilliant idea, her store, her chairs, her cards, her rules

yes you did change your post referring to my store, everyone can form their own opinion on what was said.

Word of this incident has gotten out and Shopping cart disco has picked up this story, you can read the full transcript there

No where in the conversation did you refer to buying gift cards. I do not even sell $25 and $50 cards and you state that you had 8 25L and 4 50s in addition to the 6 $100s.

Purchased gift cards can be combined.

I ask that all readers read what happened and form your own opinion.

It is my policy to ban all griefers from my store. And in this case its one of the worst attacks I have had in the shop.

just read the first few lines...

ur doing a great thing Popfuzz, keep it up

Popfuzz, did you read the complainant's profile? She says in 1st life she is a high school student. She might possibly be 18, but the behavior exhibited here may merit a report to LL for a possible underage participant.

Exactly.

Maybe someone should take a further look into this and put her back on the Teen Grid where she belongs.

I think that gift cards in a lucky chair is a lovely idea, since it means you can pick out what you want, or get a discount on something a bit more pricey. You're doing a wonderful job, and really helping out newer players.
And what she said about telling others how she got "ripped off" backfired; now that I know about your shop, I'm pretty sure I'll be frequenting it.

I love the gift card idea pop, do not shut it down

I wanted to put it in my store, I am sure it does generate sales (albeit it less than full price but a sale is a sale)

but the creator was too expensive for me to get them at this time

If I ever see them elsewhere for cheaper I will jump on it and get some

Not dissing the creator just can not afford what they wanted (can not recall the actual price at this time but I do recall it was costly)

please keep the chairs, do not let one greedy person get you down (sadly it is greed, otherwise why aim to combine them)

I've won a couple of your gift cards in lucky chairs, and I think they are wonderful. I got the cutest pair of shoes and I think I also got sexy new eyes from your store. It's a very good idea to do gift cards, cos so much really good stuff is no transfer, and sometimes you want to give people the choice themselves.
You are quite right to say that your rules are the same as in rl. It's always one card or offer per transaction that I've seen. When you work hard on something people should appreciate the discount and be willing to pay if they really want something.

ps. this post is really from pixieplumb not gonkerplumb Flanagan. sorry!

popfuzz i have some unused $25 coupons and wish i could combine them. or even 'buy up' on the value of the card. i think that would be a sweet spot to hit. i really like hairs but your $25 hairs are resellers that i already have (from lucky chairs ironically).

but it never occurred to me that you might be evil or greedy. ive just assumed this was the case due to some limitation of the system. surely youve considered the benefits of allowing me to add $75 to the coupon and buy a $100 item.

Popfuzz you are doing a wonderful thing in your store with those lucky chairs. I go there just for the fun of it, not really out to win - although that's a bonus! Those giftcards are awesome. The way you have it all set up is a winning situation for the non-greedy! Keep up the good work and don't let some immature griefer get you down.

i think gift cards are a good idea and i think i'm going to switch over to them,
i was giveing away items valued at 300 - 400 in my chairs and i watched for some time
people tp in run to the chair get the prize and instantly tp out again presumably back to the
lucky chair board, i doubt they even had time to register as traffic.

Lucky Chairs have numerous items all over the grid some give away freebies from other creators and some like yourself give giftcards allowing the winner to in fact shop, and some give away items that are available to purchase in the store so people see that they are in fact getting so many wonderful options, it is a choice to sit in them as it is a choice to accept when something is given, you have notices saying what it is that is conditions of these giftacards in you store near the chair as you stated and as many that have recieved giftcards in sl know all giftcards have limitations bought or won ...

some of them being that if you dont pick an item to the full amount you forfeit the remaining amount all of that is the choice of the proprietor YOU , at no time did she say the items where purchased she only said some were given to her and I doubt sincerely that if they were GIVEN as a gift by her partner that apparently like her has spent so much money in your store previously would have ever bought something at such a low amount, you also offered her a compromise of 50% combined and 50% pay that was something you didnt have to do and a SANE person would have if in fact they do love your items as we all do would have snatched up , no reference at all in this conversation was alluding to their being a time limit on these items , this is just yet again an attack on someone because another person got it in their head that they are an exception to every rule , Miss Thang if you walk around the world SL or RL with that attitude you are soooooooooo going to fall on your ass and unfortunatly once you do NO ONE is going to be there to help you back up , you have discreditted yourself and stupidly discreditted your other name as you gave that and land info and now thousands of people will know not to deal with either.

Want to pick on someone in SL that is as giving and lovely as Popfuzz your choice but seriously a bad one as people like her have friends and those friends have friends and no matter what you THINK happened all you did was make a mockery of yourself and an enemy of many , if I was you and I so know this to be true I would apologise to Popfuzz and her being her will actualy forgive you, because as sickening as you behaved and as wronged as you think you are , its people like her GOOD people that hurt themselves and feel awful for a long time having someone like you think ill of them ,and you also have blackened the name of your friend you shop their with in doing this and im sure he wont be impressed either at your lack of manners and what actualy was greedy and selfish , those chairs are a gift and the gift continues when you get to choose what you want rather than accept what is given , as stated many items are available for those prices and you realy do have alot of nerve expecting any one to bow down to your will because you thikn because you have a few more Lindens than most you can , sorry honey anyone can buy a linden you need to start shopping for Class and the manners box is hidden on Help island Im sorry you missed it on arrival