Is it tacky to buy a museum pass for only one member of a family? - Page 2

[mamazee]

I don't think it's a good idea because the family would have to get a family pass anyway at that point to go with the kid, and a family pass is often 2 times the single pass, or like 2 times the single pass plus the cost of one child. So they'd have to spend the same amount of money as if you hadn't gotten them a gift at all.

[mamazee]

I've thought a little more, and there are only three ways this can go:

1. The parents feel obligated to take the child more often, so they buy a family membership, and end up having to spend a lot of their own money due to the gift, and there ends up being no value to the gift as the family membership would have included the child anyway.

2. The parents feel obligated to take the child more often, so they buy individual tickets more often, and still end up having to spend a lot of their own money due to the gift.

3. The parents don't take the child more often, in which case the gift has no value to the child. It's more of a gift to the parents as they save money. The child would have gone to the museum the same number of times anyway.

Maybe a gift certificate to the museum store?

I wouldn't say tacky, because tacky implies that there is some kind of greedy motivation, and that's obviously not the case. But I don't think it's a good choice.

[Eman'smom]

Tacky isn't really the right word, but it would end up not being very useful for all the reasons already mentioned.


I like the idea of going in with someone else for a family pass or doing a one day membership for the family.

[treemom2]

Originally Posted by snoopy5386

I would rather buy one time tickets for everyone in the family vs a membership for one kid if money is a factor.

[kcstar]

Not tacky, but also probably not the best choice in gifts unless for some reason you have care of the child on a semi-regular basis. I liked what Goestoshow said about "and we will visit once a month for x months," but I also think that's more appropriate for an extended family member (i.e, aunt, uncle, grandparent, etc) than a friend of the family... unless it's a close / long-time friendship.

[Needle in the Hay]

I wouldn't buy it if it truly was just a pass for the entrance fee of one child (though I wouldn't feel at all put out if that was someone's gift to my son).
However, what an individual membership entails can vary. My sister has an individual membership to the zoo and that includes free parking and free entrance for one additional person every time she goes there. So a membership like that could be well worth it, depending on the family.

[daytripper75]

Better to give money and mention that you'd like it to be put towards a membership if they are interested in one.

[lilyka]

i guess if it is somewhere the family already goes regularly it would be ok but I can't imagine they wouldn't have already bought a family pass if they go that much.

if you cannot afford a pass for the whole family how about tickets for the whole family for one trip.

If someone bought just my child a pass it would never get used ever. I HATE it when my kids win a "free" pass somewhere. it is never free. it is usually somewhere we were not planning to go and to use the free ticket it is going to cost us another $50. nice prize/gift...

[lilyka]

oh hey someone gave us a couples pass to the childrens museum once. He wasn't sure if our kids needed tickets yet etc... but the museum did a cool thing and whenever someone gave you tickets or a membership it was essentially a gift certificate they could use towrds admission or ANY membership. when they bought the "couples" membership they were essentially buying a gift certificate that was enough to cover a couples membership. I thionk it was only $20 to upgrade.

[2xshy]

i do no think it's tacky, but often museums (well here anyways) have family packages so having one child be able to go for free may not make a difference if they often go as a family.

i do no think it would hurt to ask if you are unsure.

[Jeannettea]

We have a small waterpark @ 10 miles from our little town.

When all four kids were younger, my Mom would buy a family pass and put herself on there as well, and when the kids' birthdays rolled around, they knew their gift from Gramma was to get to go to the waterpark as many times as they wanted all summer long - plus when Gramma went (usually 3x-4x per week, she'd buy them nachos and pop there for lunch - I know, I know, not healthy at all, but it was special time w/ her, and they just loved it, and it was better than having more plastic toys that got lost/broken/destroyed/not played with!).

Honestly, it was a wonderful gift in my mind, and I - and my Mom and the kids - loved it. Now that they are older, she only takes dd#2 (ds#2 is still too little to go w/ just Gramma), and it's no longer a bday gift - just a couple times every summer day for just the two of them.

Anyway, I would vote that if you are buying a pass, buy for the whole family. If you buy for all the kids anyway throughout the course of the year in that family (a bday gift), then putting all that money together would probably add up to the cost of a family pass. Then just make sure that the kids know that's their bday gifts for the year from you, given all at once on one date.

I would love to get family passes to various places instead of more plastic toys! Even for my own bday!!!

[lindberg99]

Originally Posted by snoopy5386

I would rather buy one time tickets for everyone in the family vs a membership for one kid if money is a factor.

I think I would do that too if you can afford it. Then they could go have one fun day together as a family and not feel like they have to go back when maybe they can't really afford to.

I don't know if this was suggested already but are you close enough to the mom or dad that you could call and ask what they think? I've had parents call me before about ideas for birthday gifts, to make sure my child didn't already have the thing they wanted to buy or whatever.

[crunchy_mommy]

I'd always go with at least 2... you wouldn't buy someone tickets to a game or something and only give them one ticket (well at least I wouldn't)... so, same premise. If you get 2, the kid can go with an older sibling/sitter/parent/grandparent or the whole family could buy extra passes if they chose.

[eepster]

I voted "tacky" but as others have said, it's not so much tacky as very very impractical. Here I'll use membership to the Wildlife Conservation Society (NYC zoos covers: the Bronx zoo, Central park zoo, Brooklyn Aquarium, the Children's zoo, and some zoo out in queens I forget the name of) as an example.

Individual membership cost: $75

For just one parent to go with him to the zoo costs: $15 each time he goes.

At that rate in just in just 3 trips, they have spent the difference between an individual and family membership which is $120.

If he is in a family of 4, the cost to the parents for the whole family to go with him is $41 (2 adults and 1 child.) Which is just $4 shy of a family membership.

If the family feels obligated to take the whole family to the Bronx zoo, Central park zoo and the Brooklyn Aquarium, so that they really use the pass. It will cost it would cost them $123 which isn't only more than the $75 gift, but more than the family membership that the person giving the gift didn't feel like spending.

For just $150, they can get a family premium membership which would include a grandparent/guest and allow unlimited rides on things like the monorail.

[ameliabedelia]

In another thread, someone said she doesn't want to buy a museum pass for a kid's birthday present because she'd feel obligated to get one for the whole family and it'd be too expensive to do that. Do you think it'd be tacky to buy a pass for only one family member? I mean, if it's a place that the family frequents anyway, they'd be saving money on that child's ticket, but I guess if it's a place they don't go to, it'd end up costing them money because of the other tickets they'd need to purchase for the visits. Hmm...

If it's a place they frequent anyway, they would very likely already have a family pass. In my experience with museums and zoos, it is almost always cheaper to buy a membership if you plan on going even just 2 or 3 times in a year. Plus child admission if oftentimes 1/2 the price of adult admission, so a child pass really isn't saving someone that much money.

[B]I don't think it is EVER appropriate to give a gift which requires someone to spend money in order to use it. (the only exception might be if the giver KNOWS FOR A FACT they were planning to buy it anyway and pay the associated fees, (ie. a cell phone someone was already planning to buy and pay the associated fees with.

I can only think of two ways this gift would be appropriate:


1) If it is a teen/older child that could and WOULD go by themselves or with friends.

2) It is a family with only one child who would enjoy the museum (other children are too young, too old, or not interested) and the giver promises to be the one to take the child to the museum.

[bluebunny]

I don't think it is EVER appropriate to give a gift which requires someone to spend money in order to use it.

This.

I wouldn't use the word "tacky" but buying a gift that cannot be used unless someone else shells out more money, in this case the parent, is not a good idea, IMO. Giving money towards a family membership or splitting the cost with someone is a better idea.

[terrainthailand]

I think it really depends. After all, it wouldn't be a financial hardship for every family. And generally I do like giving experiences rather than stuff. If someone gifted this to us I would find it to be very thoughtful. I certainly wouldn't call it tacky, but maybe not the best gift for everyone.

I do think giving money, as has been suggested, is tacky. I really like snoopy5386's suggestion to get a one-day pass for the whole family, rather than a membership for just one child.

[AbbieB]

Originally Posted by eepster

I voted "tacky" but as others have said, it's not so much tacky as very very impractical. Here I'll use membership to the Wildlife Conservation Society (NYC zoos covers: the Bronx zoo, Central park zoo, Brooklyn Aquarium, the Children's zoo, and some zoo out in queens I forget the name of) as an example.


For just $150, they can get a family premium membership which would include a grandparent/guest and allow unlimited rides on things like the monorail.

Wow! That's an awesome deal!



I agree that buy just one child membership is not the best, well thought out gift.

A family membership or one day tikets for the whole family is a much better idea.

[HeatherAtHome]

Haven't read all the replies.

I would say it's not the best idea *unless* this kid hangs out with your family a lot and often goes to the museum with you. By buying a pass for the kid, it means they have a free outing without putting a financial burden on the parents. I would only do this if you have a close relationship with the kid.