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5 Last-minute Father’s Day Gift Ideas

By Sree Sreenivasan | June 16, 2011 12:08pm
iTunes gift cards and gift certificates can make for a good last-minute Father's Day gift.
iTunes gift cards and gift certificates can make for a good last-minute Father's Day gift.
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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

By Sree Sreenivasan

DNAinfo Contributing Editor

Are you still in the market for a Father's Day gift? Don't despair.

Here are some last-minute gift ideas that will make him happy and make you look good.

Many of these rely on the fact that you can easily send an emailable gift certificate that can be renewed online. A word of caution: people are rightly skeptical of money coming in via email, so be sure to follow up to make sure the recipient didn't trash the certificate.

Better still, send the certificate to yourself and then forward it directly with a new subject line ("A Father's Day gift for you" will work fine). Have a dad or grandad who isn't on email? If you are seeing him on Sunday, just bring the printed certificate and your laptop with you and shop together. If you aren't seeing him, email the certificate to someone who is.

1. Amazon Gift Cards: Amazon, which pioneered emailable gift certificates, continues to be a great option. They have a separate Father’s Day section and even a way to send certificates via Facebook.

2. iTunes Gift Certificates: These are different from the iTunes Gift Cards, which are physical cards. Here’s the description: An iTunes gift certificate from the iTunes Store is just the thing for last-minute gifts. Choose from a wide range of denominations. Email your gift certificate immediately, or print the gift certificate on your own printer and deliver it to the lucky recipient in person.

3. GiftCertificates.com: This site, which has been around for years, lets you choose from hundreds of merchants — Barney's to Men's Wearhouse to Nike — or a "SuperCertificate," which lets him choose later.

4. RedEnvelope.com: This site, which many folks think of for women's gifts, has an extensive selection for men, too. A discount code, SRCHladder, helps get you 10-25 percent off on checkout.

5. BarnesandNoble.com: Barnes and Noble offers Father's Day ecards (redeemable online or in the stores), but if you live in Manhattan, you might want to check out the Same Day Delivery in Manhattan service - order by 11 am, Monday through Friday, and get a delivery by 7 pm.

And, of course, if your dad or granddad is here in Manhattan, be sure to check out DNAinfo's Father’s Day Deals.

Post your comments below using your Facebook account or on Twitter @sree.

Every week, DNAinfo contributing editor Sree Sreenivasan, a Columbia journalism professor, shares his observations about the changing media landscape.