Comedian Jim Gaffigan jokes that picking out a birthday card involves reading through a bunch and then deciding, “That’s something I’d say.”
It’s funny how we spend $4, $5, $6, even $7 for a cheesy poem on a piece of cardstock.
But for better or worse, sending store-bought greeting cards is a part of our culture. Not sending one might as well mean you’ve forgotten or don’t care.
To quote another comic, Michael Scott on The Office once said giving a gift is like saying, “Hey man, I love you, this many dollars’ worth.” The same tends to apply to the card, which we guess is why Hallmark prints their logo and the price you paid on the back of every card. If someone really wanted to know how much you love them, they could check their card to see if you sprung for the best.
It seems like a joke. And yet, even with cheaper-priced competitors out there, Hallmark reports annual revenues to the tune of $4 billion.
Dollar Tree has for many years offered greeting cards for 50 cents, albeit printed by lesser recognized brands. If you didn’t care about the label, you could have been saving a lot of money by buying your cards there. Thrifty shoppers have always known that greeting cards were one of the best ways to save money at Dollar Tree.
But now, Dollar Tree has introduced Hallmark cards to their stores, still at 50 cents apiece!
Granted, these aren’t the $6-$7 fancy cards you’d find at a gift store. These are generally mid-tier Hallmark cards, but they do hold the Hallmark brand and have the retail price, generally $2-$3, printed on the back. Your recipients will never know you didn’t pay retail price at a typical store!
You can also find 8-packs of Hallmark note cards for $1, perfect for writing lots of thank you notes.
So next time you need a card for your special someone, you have no reason not to get it at Dollar Tree!
