This is a question for all of the museum store people (or those who just
play one on TV)


We are considering offering gift certificates in our retail shops and
online. I was curious what other small to medium size museums do in terms of
implementation. Most of our questions revolve around simple policies such
as:

€Do you put an expiration date on them?
€If so how long do you give for redemption?
€What do you do if someone brings in an expired one, just send them packing?
€If the total purchase is less than the certificate, do you give money or
store credit? Or do they have to spend the full amount?
€When you account for them are they carried as a liability on your books
until they are redeemed?
€Does it have to be redeemed for merchandise or can it be used for admission
a membership as well?
€Has anyone ever successfully and efficiently implemented gift certificate
sales and redemption on line?


As both a retail clerk and as a consumer I have seen Gift Certificates
handled in any number of ways, but I was wondering what my peers were doing
at similarly sized institutions (small to medium).

I'd appreciate any help either on or off list.

Matthew

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