In the shop and online
Cards generally work both at the till and at the website, which is a wider reach than many book retailers manage. The recipient can browse in person and buy online, or the other way round.
More than books
The stores sell stationery, games, toys and gifts, and many have a café. A card typically covers all of it.
That breadth is useful for a recipient who is hard to buy for: they can treat it as a book gift or as an afternoon out.
Café acceptance can vary where the café is operated under a separate arrangement — worth a quick check at the counter rather than an assumption.
The e-reader side
The company's own e-reader ecosystem is bought through the same account in most cases, so a card can fund digital reading as well as paper. Someone with one of those devices can spend the balance either way.
Note this does not extend to other companies' e-readers — a card here does not load onto a Kindle.
Membership
The store runs a paid membership with discounts. A gift card is a payment method, so member pricing applies normally and the card pays the reduced total. The two do not conflict.
Region
A United States retailer. Outside the US there is no store to spend it in, online or otherwise.
Who it suits
Readers who like browsing, students, and anyone who would rather be given an afternoon in a bookshop than a download. How paper and digital compare as gifts is covered in the books and audio guide.
Asking for one
Confirm it is a US recipient, and tell us the amount.