Sonny’s Italian Kitchen in Sturgeon Bay expects a significant percentage of the gift cards they sold this holiday season to never be redeemed. That is normal for other retailers as well. Gift cards at Sonny’s are available year-round but they are most popular in the run-up to Christmas. General Manager Nolan Paschke says they made gift cards a center piece of their promotional campaign this month. The effort was so successful Sonny’s had to put in an emergency order for more. Selling them is only part of the equation. Paschke says about one-fifth are never fully redeemed, but it is hard to give a firm answer due to accounting.

The outstanding balances on cards that are not fully used get written off months down the road, once the summer tourism season has ended.