Stores and Web Sites: The Twain Rarely Meet

Question: I received gift certificates for Christmas and now want to use them to buy new things for spring. Do merchants accept the same gift certificates online as they do at their stores?

Answer: Many merchants don’t allow any crossover between their stores and Internet operations.

That means if you have a gift certificate from a Macy’s or Gap store, it can’t be used online. If you have one from Barnes and Noble’s Web site (https://www.barnesandnoble.com), it can’t be used at any of the giant bookseller’s retail stores.

This convoluted system can be confusing. Many people see a brand name, such as Macy’s, and assume the store and online shop are one and the same.

But much of the time, it isn’t so. Many online sites are separate from the traditional stores with which they share a name. Some retailers even go so far as to hire outside companies to handle their Internet business.

“Since their Internet sites are so new, they don’t have systems in place yet that allow their regular stores to communicate with their Web sites,” says Preston Gralla, author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Online Shopping.” “But that doesn’t make it any less confusing to the consumer who doesn’t understand why they aren’t interchangeable.”

It’s not just shoppers with gift certificates facing this problem. Many merchants also don’t permit customers to return products bought online at their stores.

Industry analysts believe all this will change as retailers become more savvy with their online operations.

One merchant that permits crossovers is 1-800-Flowers. It allows the same gift certificates to be used when purchasing something in its stores, on its Web site or over the telephone.

Online shoppers type their gift certificate serial number into the Web site (https://www.1800flowers.com). They then receive a confirmation number and can proceed with the transaction.

If they don’t spend the entire amount of the gift certificate at one time, a new certificate is issued to the customer for the remaining balance.