Store Closing - Gift Card Buyer Beware

Good morning! I'm up so super early so I though I would going to do a post about all the retail stores that are closing... and then I JUST got this email that ties all together.
So check out this list of stores closing around the country and beware if you buy gift cards to these places that may not be used before the stores themselves close.

Everyone knows I am very liberal when it comes to my political views but I definitely believe the retail sector of the world drives a majority of our economy. (Nothing new there really...) I have always worked in some sort of retail whether it's been actual sales or in marketing - my paycheck depends on YOU buying stuff I promote in some form. I do think our markets are extremely saturated and that consumers are getting confused more easily these days and so they just give up. I know I do that - just the other day I had a minor freak out in Walmart because there were 93 types of toothpaste and I can never remember which type I buy so I had to look at each one. It was disastrous.
Anyway, not just with items but also with the stores too, for instance we have 4 Gap stores here - we don't need that... promise. I don't think our local economy is the peril that the rest of the country is facing - after all, we are in the heart of Walmart world. That being said - I do like to shop at local stores and eat at local resturants and it's always sad when a locally owned establishment has to close up shop.

But back to the point, here is the list of stores closing nation wide.

I wanted to give everyone a heads up that if you tend to give gift cards
around the holidays, you need to be careful that the cards will be
honored after the holidays. Stores that are planning to close after
Christmas are still selling the cards through the holidays even though
the cards will be worthless January 1. There is no law preventing them
from doing this. On the contrary, it is referred to as 'Bankruptcy
Planning). Below is a partial list of stores that you need to be
cautious about.
Here’s the link http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/storeclosings.asp

· Circuit City (filed Chapter 11)
· Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide closing
· Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 stores nationwide
· Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
· Cache will close all stores
· Talbots closing down specialty stores
· J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbot's)
· Pacific Sun wear (also owned by Talbot's)
· GAP closing 85 stores
· Footlocker closing 140 store s mo re to close after January
· Wickes Furniture closing down
· Levitz closing down remaining stores
· Bombay closing remaining stores
· Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January
· Whitehall closing all stores
· Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
· Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
· Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ ( New Brunswick )
· Macys to close 9 stores after January
· Linens and Things closing all stores
· Movie Galley Closing all stores
· Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
· Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores
· JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
· Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
· Wilson Leather closing down all stores
· Sharper Image closing down all stores
· K B Toys closing 356 stores
· Loews to close down some stores
· Dillard's to close some stores