Why buying store gift cards is often just a free gift for stores

Millions of consumers buy store gift cards every year, intending to give someone else a gift. But far too many wind up giving a free gift to the stores, because many gift cards are never fully spent. Take for example the country’s largest home improvement retailer, Home Depot. Every year, The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) pockets more than $30 million that consumers pay for Home Depot gift cards, and then never use. In retail lingo, it’s called “gift card breakage income.” Last year, Home…