My goddaughter is starting at AU in the fall. If I wanted to surprise her with a gift card to a coffee shop/restaurant/dining establishment in the area, what do people recommend?
There is a Starbucks and Subway on campus. There is a Rite-Aid that is becoming a Walgreen’s that is easily walkable. My DD buys a lot of stuff at Walgreens. Sometimes the common cosmetic/toiletry expenses are overlooked. For the first time they have to buy all of that stuff that Mom & Dad just kept on hand for them.
Also an Amazon gift card would always be welcome as they will deliver to campus.
And that is very thoughtful of you.
I’d avoid Starbucks/Subway gift cards as students have Eagle Bucks (Starbucks) or Meal Swipes (Subway) that can be used for those two. But I’d say that if you are looking for something local, a gift card to Whole Foods would be nice. Or if you are trying for a restaurant, Nandos or Angelico Pizza would be good choices.
But as someone young, I agree with @happy1 that Amazon gift cards are always nice. Amazon now does delivery of food in DC that gift cards can be used for too! Another idea is Uber or Lyft gift cards as these are something students use often!
My rising senior would still love to receive a certificate to Cava. http://cava.com/ He and his peers love that place.
Amazon is a great idea because it can be used for textbooks and any other supplies. Other places near campus that you can gift cards for are: panera, chipotle, cava, dunkin donuts, starbucks (still a good idea even though we can use school money there because dining dollars dwindle very quickly and you’ll need to buy coffee somehow). I also recommend just general stores your goddaughter likes because she can always order things online, and there are tons of stores in Georgetown she can go to and use the card there.
I assume the student has already started so I’ll close this thread.