Book Sense Gift Certificate Phase-Out Underway

At the end of October 2004, ABA announced that it was discontinuing the Book Sense Gift Certificate program. The process includes three key deadlines, the first of which has already passed: On December 31, the association stopped selling paper certificates to bookstores.

Book Sense booksellers should note the two remaining deadlines:

1. Effective June 1, 2005, booksellers must stop selling Book Sense Paper Gift Certificates. After that date, the statement on the face of the certificate, "Redeemable at any store with Book Sense nationwide," will no longer be valid. However, in order to protect consumers, booksellers will still be required to accept valid paper gift certificates as per local/state laws and other criteria set forth by Book Sense.
   
2. Book Sense will pay 10 cents for each Book Sense Paper Gift Certificate returned to ABA via a traceable manner (e.g., UPS). Certificates should be sent to the attention of Peter Reynolds at ABA, 828 South Broadway, Tarrytown, NY 10591, and must be received by June 15, 2005. The minimum reimbursement amount for this buy-back will be $5 regardless of the number of certificates returned.

Book Sense will continue to provide reimbursement for all valid Book Sense Paper Gift Certificates in accordance with established reimbursement guidelines for as long as necessary. Any Book Sense Paper Gift Certificate sold and dated after June 1, 2005, will not be valid.

All bookstores with Book Sense should accept valid Book Sense gift certificates even if they have never sold one. (For reimbursement instructions, click here.)

Booksellers are encouraged to sign-up for the Book Sense Gift Card program; however, they are not required to adopt Book Sense Gift Cards in order to remain a Book Sense participant in the overall marketing campaign. For more about the Book Sense Gift Card Program, click here.

Questions about the Book Sense Gift Certificate and Gift Card programs should be addressed to ABA Marketing Director Jill Perlstein at [email protected] or (800) 637-0037, ext. 1283.