When one of those offers you can’t refuse came along – buy a £30 Amazon gift card and get £7 extra free – I immediately treated myself. I knew the credit wouldn’t last long as I’m a real Amazon fan. I was right – three days all told. As I was loading the gift certificate, the thought occurred that I’m about as big a fan of surprise presents as I am of Amazon but how much more reliable is the trusty Amazon voucher. This nice, crisp piece of plastic more or less guarantees happiness – the happiness of choosing your own select gift. No more running the gamut of recycled unwanted gifts, novelty pound shop items the buyer thought looked worth at least £2.50, scented candles that don’t smell, Romanian chocolates and garden tools that crumple at the merest hint of clay soil. My soul must by now be so hard-wired to Amazon, I went straight for the black and orange Generic and missed the Cup Cake gift box altogether.
