General:

Oakland Business Improvement District (“OBID”) is the “Program Administrator” for the Shop2Help Oakland Gift Card Program (“Program”). Purchases made on this website will be processed and mailed by our “Fulfillment Partner” (Facture, LLC).

Update 3/21/22: The Program will end on March 31, 2022 (or when gift cards sell out, whichever is sooner). All orders received between today and March 31 will be processed after April 1, 2022, at which point all gift cards will be mailed (or made ready for local pickup) approximately the first week of April to allow for Program Administrator and Fulfillment Partner to coordinate with participating businesses for additional inventory as needed and officially close out the program. If you have not received your order by April 15, 2022, then please email your name and Order # to giftcards@oaklandbid.org for support.

Note for University of Pittsburgh addresses: We have heard from a few customers with University of Pittsburgh shipping addresses (about 1 in 15 orders sent this year) have occasionally taken longer than anticipated to reach the recipient, and in very few instances, were actually returned to sender many weeks later without explanation. Whether there is an issue with on campus routing or at USPS, we of course do not know. So if you are on Pitt’s campus, then we strongly advise you to select the “Local Pickup” option at checkout. If you do not, someone from our fulfillment team may contact you to make other arrangements to ensure that you can receive your order in a timely fashion, otherwise you are assuming all risk of non-receipt for your order.

Redemption:

Once received by mail, customers can redeem gift cards at the merchant/business based on each merchant’s own redemption rules and policies. The value of each gift card is $35.00 – the equivalent to the original purchase amount of $25.00 plus the additional $10.00 bonus cash incentive – less any value already redeemed by customer. Redemption rules and policies are subject to each merchant’s own terms and conditions. Contact the merchant directly with questions about their respective terms and conditions. For example, some merchants may allow gift cards to be redeemed at any location, others may allow gift cards to be redeemed at only their Oakland location; other merchants may allow gift cards to be redeemed in-store or in-person at their brick-and-mortar location only, while others may offer online sales; others may set an expiration date or timeframe within which the gift card(s) may be valid. Policies will vary and are subject to change at the sole discretion of the merchant.

Gift cards issued under this program carry the same risks of any gift card purchase at any time. Specifically, should the merchant issuing a gift card cease business or otherwise be deemed incapable of providing goods or services for sale at any time before a gift card is redeemed, no refunds or exchanges will be given except where required by law.

As businesses nationwide continue to adapt to evolving county, state, or federal regulations and restrictions due to the the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and make day-to-day operational adjustments to remain compliant with safety regulations, gift card policies are subject to change after the initial purchase date. We ask that you please stay in-tune with each of the merchants that you are supporting through your gift card purchase(s) today, and ask that you continue to show your support and work together through any potential hardships to resolve any issues in the event that changes are in any way deemed necessary due to evolving COVID-19 safety regulations and operating restrictions.

Any issues associated with redeeming a gift card after the purchase date is the sole responsibility of the merchant/business who issued the gift card and the customer who made the purchase, not the Program Administrator. After receiving your gift card(s), please work directly with the issuing merchant to resolve any disputes. The Program Administrator will retain a log of all Shop2Help Oakland Gift Card Program transactions for a period of one year from purchase date as proof of your purchase, though all purchasers and merchants hereby release OBID and all Program partners or affiliates from any and all liability or responsibility associated with the failure of an issuing merchant to be able to provide goods or services in exchange for their gift card(s).

Shipping/Local Pickup:

If your shipping address is in the Pittsburgh region, then transit time is typically 3-5 business days once the order is processed and mailed. In order to keep the cost of shipping free to customers, we mail using USPS Standard Mail, which does not include a tracking number. Orders will be shipped to the mailing address provided at checkout, exactly as entered. Once your order has shipped, transit times are entirely out of our control, and returned or lost items cannot be refunded.

If you are local to Oakland or can come through during your commute to/from Pittsburgh, we highly recommend taking advantage of the Local Pickup option when placing your order. If you do choose Local Pickup, you will be contacted via text message or email with pickup location information and instructions when your order is ready.

Order Fulfillment:

Gift cards purchased together will be mailed via USPS Standard Mail (or packaged together for local pickup). Most are traditional plastic gift cards or paper gift certificates, though some gift cards will be filled as digital voucher codes based on what is provided by each merchant or business. In those instances, digital voucher codes will be emailed to the email address provided at checkout, or in other instances, sent via text message to the mobile number provided at checkout.

Some orders may arrive in multiple packages depending on weight or availability of inventory at the time the order is filled – and will be marked accordingly (e.g., 1 of 2, 2 of 2). Envelopes marked with return address for Oakland Business Improvement District will be mailed to the purchaser via USPS Standard Mail (which does not include a tracking number) at the Shipping Address provided at checkout, so be sure to provide a complete and accurate mailing address with your order. Returned or lost items cannot be refunded.

If you are buying gift cards intended as gifts, especially for college students, please make sure that you have the complete and accurate mailing address for placing the order, or opt for the Local Pickup option and provide us the recipient’s contact information so that we can message them the pickup instructions when the order is ready.

Refunds will not be given for orders that have already been mailed – regardless of the time it takes for them to be delivered by USPS. Please also note that USPS Standard Mail does not include a tracking number, so once an order has been mailed, transit times are entirely out of our control and an expected delivery date cannot be provided. You will, however, be notified by email when your order has been filled and dropped off at the post office.

In the event that you have not received your purchase by April 15, please first be patient and understand that a) We have officially closed gift card sales on March 31, 2022, and it may take some time to coordinate inventory with a few participating businesses to fill outstanding orders, and b) the U.S. Postal Service has occasionally experienced delays in processing or delivery due to intermittent staff shortages or other issues directly related to the pandemic at any given time, which is entirely out of our control. If after April 15, 2022, you have questions about your order, please contact the Program Administrator by emailing your Name and Order # to giftcards@oaklandbid.org.

In the event that the customer/recipient no longer has access to a mailbox that was provided at checkout (i.e., a student moving off-campus, a person changing employers, etc.) or an incomplete/inaccurate mailing address was provided at checkout, customers can attempt to notify us at giftcards@oaklandbid.org before their order is shipped, but please understand that once an order has been mailed, we of course will not be able to accommodate a change of shipping address or provide a refund. Orders are shipped to exactly the address you provided at checkout.

Refunds:

Generally speaking, there are no refunds. Refunds may only be given under extreme circumstances where, for example, gift card inventory was incorrectly reflected on the website and the order cannot be filled, or a worst-case-scenario like the participating business closing meaning that the order cannot be filled. Other reasons like: changing your mind, accidentally giving the wrong shipping address, or any other reason is not cause for a refund. By making a purchase via this site in support of the Program, all customers are acknowledging that direct payments to the participating businesses, donations to non-profit organizations, and administrative expenses are incurred immediately upon processing your payment, thereby refund requests cannot be easily filled without incurring additional losses or expenses by the small businesses, community, and non-profit organizations you intended to support through your purchase.