The spite, hate, rage, apathy and mild irritation thread...

[friendship]

I just realized that I have gift certificates for 2 hours of tattooing that have expired. I know that it is my fault and I should have known better, but FUCK. Why on earth do GC even expire? They have our money already. I have paid for their service. Why can't I go in and get the work done now, more than a year later?

Yeah this makes no sense. I know you're a small business owner so it's not like it effects overhead or anything. And if the price of a 'good' or ''service' goes up...like you said...it's already money and not dependent. Riffing off this, no joke, I got a GC for a local pizza place in town...mother fuckers put an expiration date on it. Really???

I would just ask the people at shop. Unless it's a chain (assuming it's not) they should not have an issue. Good luck.

This is my point. It is BS to put an expiration date for gc, when payment has ALREADY BEEN MADE. It is for a service, too, so it isn't like they have to account for inventory or anything.

I already called the shop and they stood by their expiration date. I just wasted $200 because I have been fucked up and depressed for the last 18 months, which makes it feel even worse.

What a stupid fucking business decision. They'd really rather not do the work and lose you as a customer forever over $200?

[Kacey Y]

That really sucks. I'd stop patronizing a business if they acted like that. Or since a lot of those places operate like "booth for rent" places, like salons, give my money to someone I liked there directly on the side. What a bummer.

[Kacey Y]

What a stupid fucking business decision. They'd really rather not do the work and lose you as a customer forever over $200?

Exactly. We've eaten more than this in equipment (at cost) for customers that broke stuff through gross negligence, not including labor, because their overall business was worth keeping.

[aens_wife]

Well, that's how I feel about it too, but they have a very different view. They are the most popular tattoo shop in our town and feel like they can treat anyone like total shit. The one artist is like is there, so I have stuck around but I think I'll have to move after this next session bc fuck this.

And of course, Ben got me another GC for that shop before he knew that I couldn't use my old ones, so I have to do this next session to use that up. They also let you use only 1 GC at a time and I had 4 that were for 1 hour each. That meant that I basically had to book 1 hour at a time OR pay for an extra hour every time, if I wanted a full session. Fucking dickheads, indeed.

[Kacey Y]

Running a small business with that attitude is incredibly short sighted.

[$harkToootth]

Well in this case...there is nothing lost for the operation. It's vested capitol. It's not a gift card for 1 Tattoo or something were the price can go up. It's just money. The only way a gift card of this kind should expire is if the operation goes out of business. They have nothing to lose!

I'm also boiling that a pizza place would have expirations of gift cards. Like if I have $5 left and want to get 2 slices at $2.50 don't throw a conniption over one of the easiest things for a pizza place to make...PIZZA.

This is ontologically unnerving me in so many ways I really feel for you Louise.

[$harkToootth]

Just read the other comment. It sounds like that shop has a tenuous grasp of how money works.

[waltdogg]

lol. so much got posted while i was typing out my post i had to change my response. if the shop is dicks. they're dicks. fuck it. the only thing i can think of is that it's very much a first world problem to be complaining about expired fake money.

at least you didn't impulsively (out of being fucked up and depressed) put $1000 into tattoos in just a couple months.

[aens_wife]

lol. so much got posted while i was typing out my post i had to change my response. if the shop is dicks. they're dicks. fuck it. the only thing i can think of is that it's very much a first world problem to be complaining about expired fake money.

at least you didn't impulsively (out of being fucked up and depressed) put $1000 into tattoos in just a couple months.

It isn't fake money though. I just lost $200 real dollars. Ben bought me those GC for my bday/xmas and now I can't use them. I know it seems like a first world problem and in the grand scheme of things, $200 isn't a lot, but it isn't nothing either.

I am pretty glad that when I get depressed, I don't spend recklessly. I def have shit I do that isn't healthy, but I don't risk my house or whatever.

[$harkToootth]

if the shop is dicks. they're dicks. fuck it. the only thing i can think of is that it's very much a first world problem to be complaining about expired fake money.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you waltdogg. The reason is, it is not fake money, you used real funds, vested it into an enterprise on the premise that the universal capital now because capital that can solely be used for the enterprise. So to put an arbitrary expiration date for capital is problematic as 'real money' does not expire, only losses or gains value.

The consequence of being dicks is now one is out of hard earned funds, that were supposed to be used for said enterprise. So the value proposition of a gift card is rendered useless as funds that your would have used solely for that enterprise are not only, not going to be used, but you are permanently separated from said funds.

I would say this is universal across all societies, not just first world as it breaks whatever transaction that was supposed to ensue.

[Kacey Y]

If I lost $200 in a month, it would take a shit on my life. Hell, just taking vacation days kind of fucks me, because I don't get overtime and I generally work like 1-1.5 hours of OT every day. That's the only way I can pay my bills.

[lost in music]

I have "the lamest tattoo shop in eau clair, wisconsin" stuck in my head now to the tune of "the best ever death metal band out of denton"

[waltdogg]

okay. let me elaborate on what i mean by fake money. once you or someone else pays for a giftcard, the spent funds are "converted" to a form of payment that's only good at said business. which they can control as they please. so in no way to do i see a gift card being equal to legal tender since you gave up legal tender for a means to pay for services and goods only at the business you bought the giftcard at/for. interpret that how you want but i think we agree, it's just our own words getting in the way of our minds meeting.

[Chankgeez]

I have "the lamest tattoo shop in eau clair, wisconsin" stuck in my head now to the tune of "the best ever death metal band out of denton"

Satan's Fingers?

[$harkToootth]

okay. let me elaborate on what i mean by fake money. once you or someone else pays for a giftcard, the spent funds are "converted" to a form of payment that's only good at said business. which they can control as they please. so in no way to do i see a gift card being equal to legal tender since you gave up legal tender for a means to pay for services and goods only at the business you bought the giftcard at/for. interpret that how you want but i think we agree, it's just our own words getting in the way of our minds meeting.

Absolutely, and fair. What I am trying to articulate though is the capital 'is equal' for the enterprise though. They already have your money so the least they can do is honor the money you have committed to solely using at their establishment. I don't understand why the establishment would add an expiration to this capital as it translates (for me) "you can commit to spending money here but I don't have to commit to accepting your payment, that you already paid for".

Basically, there is no real incentive for gift cards anyway (I know most stores don't give a discount for using the funds of gift card) so it is more or less like entering a contract that only keeps your money.