CLARKONOMICS: Retailers and restaurants are both taking it on the chin in today's economy. We're "over-stored" in America with the square footage of retail space exceeding the population count. It's a symptom of the "shop 'til you drop" mentality. Fortunately, Clark thinks we're finally experiencing a shift in this kind of thinking.

Restaurateurs, meanwhile, have always had a tough time even in the best of economies. But now people aren't eating out as much, or they're trading down in meals, or they're using coupons.

So what's the takeaway for you? Beware if you're thinking about giving someone a gift card. The store or restaurant may not be there when they go to redeem it! This is a good year to give people cash or an actual gift because of these dangers. You might also want to check out Clark's no-gift-card certificate. Then again, the upside of not being able to redeem a restaurant gift card is that you'll consume 0 calories!