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This was from an email I got the other day - I don’t vouch for all these recommendations - I think Home Depot is fine... but it’s worth looking at.

Subject: Gift Cards - Warning - Please read!!!

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 ‘Bankrupcy Planning). Below is a partial
list of stores that you need to be cautious about.

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 27 stores and more after January;
Cache will close all stores;
Talbots closing down specialty stores;
J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbots);
Pacific Sunwear (also owned by Talbots);
GAP closing 85 stores;
Footlocker closing 140 stores more 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.

For those of you who have some uncashed gift cards already, I would use them ASAP.