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But one of my favorite gifts to give is a magazine subscription. I like it because it feels a little decadent (I never order a fluffy subscription for myself, but will happily send one to others), but is still affordable, thoughtful, and continues throughout the year until it expires. Which is, of course, when the problem begins. Either you gave the gift last year and now you're getting that pesky, guilt-tripping reminder in the mail that says, "You don't want Caroline to miss a single issue of People, do you?!?! Renew now!" Or, you've gotten used to receiving your subscription, and then, when you're sent the reminder that it is almost up, you can't help but wonder if your friend Jane is going to renew it again. Suddenly, this seemingly brilliant gift idea just became an albatross. At first I thought it was smart to check in with the person, asking, "Do you still like receiving that magazine?" But most people will say, "Sure, keep it coming," and then I feel like I'm stuck giving the same gift year after year. Or, I feel compelled to give another gift in addition to the magazine, which just gets expensive. So when is it okay to pull the plug on a gift subscription? And if you're not renewing it, do you need to address it with the recipient?
Posted by: Faith Rand| Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 02:38 PM as someone who has gotten a magazine gift I like the idea of checking in and seeing if you still want it. When I've recieved magazine subscriptions, I've only had the one year and then I get the reminders and decide if I want to continue or not. I didn't know the gifter got reminders to renew for me also! I would let the recipient decide if they want to renew or not for themselves, in case they didn't really liked it but don't want to hurt my feelings by saying they don't want a renewal. Plus I don't like to give the same gift every year. Here's a thought. Next time, get your friend a gift card FOR a magazine subscription. Then your friend gets to pick the magazine of her choice and do the subscribing herself. No guilt-trip when the year is up because it's not in your name. To make the gift card more personal, I would pick out a magazine from the store that you think she'll like, sorta like a recommendation. Then I'd include a decadent candy bar, a fun bottle of nail polish, or a reusable water bottle for poolside reading. Because, afterall, the magazine subscription implies you're giving your friend the gift of a little self-indulgent down-time. Might as well give her something to go with it, and something to "open" while she waits for her first magazine to arrive. Thanks for the post...I'm thinking of magazine subscriptions in a whole new way! I don't think you should have to renew the subscription. The gift was a 1-year or 6-month subscription. Once the subscription is expired, the gift is complete. I never renew gift subscriptions unless I'm absolutely sure the person loves the magazine and wouldn't do it him/herself--like because the recipient's a kid. I use gift subscriptions as a way to introduce my friends to magazines they might like--and it's up to them to decide if they do. I figure they can renew--if they miss an issue, it's online. It avoids any sense of pressure on their part to say they liked it when they didn't. --and buy yourself a nice subscription now and then--you *do* write for a magazine, you know! This is a very informative article and will no doubt help alot of people,…..I have recently written an article on this subject which should be of great value to your readers |
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Just because you gave it one year, you shouldn't be obligated to renew year to year. The idea behind giving someone a magazine is to introduce them to something they may like. If you introduce someone to a new nail color or makeup are you required to buy it every time they need it? NO WAY!