When you can't figure out a good gift for the person who has it all, we default to a gift card. However, that may not be a good gift this year and here's why.

Money and consumer tips expert, Clark Howard, recently shared on his website that giving gift cards for gifts this year is a bad idea. I think his reasoning makes sense, and here's what he said.

In 2017, major retailers closed more than 5,000 stores overall.

J.C. Penny's, Sears, and Macy's were a few of the heavy hitters to close many of their stores this year. The competition coming from successful companies like Amazon.com have much to do with their closures.

Not to mention restaurants like Outback Steakhouse, Applebee's, and Joe's Crab Shack, who closed many of their stores and didn't give their employees much notice, if any.

The problem with giving gift cards is if the one you sent it to doesn't use it right away, they may find any of these or other stores closing and then the gift card is no good.

Mr. Howard noted his own experience when he shares that someone gave him a gift card to his favorite ice cream parlor, but when he went to cash in, it was closed. Thus the gift card was no good.

If you want to give a gift similar to a gift card, give cash. Either that or a gift card to Amazon or another place that you know isn't going anywhere soon.

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