Grocery stores lure holiday shoppers

Grocery stores lure holiday shoppers

	Published : Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:00 By : Agencies Print this Story

(AP) - Grocery stores lure shoppers for holiday shopping

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Do your holiday shopping in a grocery store? Some grocery store chains, appealing to consumers' desires to save gas, money and time, are pushing that notion this season.

Cincinnati-based Kroger Co., the nation's largest traditional grocer, ran full-page ads this week touting gifts under $30 for such items as plush blankets, under $20 for such products as computer bags, and under $10 for stuffed toy bears and other gifts.

Kroger also just doubled, to more than 200, the gift cards available in its stores with a deal announced this week with Blackhawk Network Inc. Shoppers can buy cards for everything from casual dining restaurants to upscale clothes stores to plane tickets.

Safeway Inc., based in Pleasanton, Calif., says it offers some 250 gift cards -- Blackhawk Network is a Safeway subsidiary -- and it has increased holiday offerings, with items such as doll houses and dolls, game sets, stylish decanters and hot chocolate maker sets.

'We are expanding holiday gift items, especially on safeway.com,' said spokeswoman Teena Massingill.

Minneapolis-based Supervalu Inc. also has stepped up its holiday gift items this year, with a focus on electronic items from GPS systems to printers, holiday decorations and more than 200 holiday gift cards. Spokeswoman Haley Meyer said customer service initiatives are aimed at holiday shoppers, such as 'Holiday Helpers' in Jewel-Osco bannered stores, who walk around trying to help customers with their holiday shopping lists.

-- AP Business Writer Dan Sewell

Eco-friendly bags are hot for the holidays

NEW YORK (AP) -- For holiday shoppers, the 'it' bag may be the green bag.

At online retailer Gifts.com, one of the hottest selling lines includes environmentally friendly tote bags as customers make even the act of shopping a green-oriented event.

'It definitely eliminates the waste of plastic bags that people turn to so often when they do their holiday shopping,' said Megan Howard, editor-in-chief of Gifts.com.

In May, Gifts.com started listing all of its environmentally friendly gifts in one place. Since then, searches on the list have spiked more than 1,000 times, said Howard. About 27 percent of consumers said they would use fewer plastic bags this year from supermarkets and other stores this holiday season, according to a survey by Deloitte Consulting.

For the eco-chic set, Barneys New York is selling reusable shopping totes by upscale designers as an alternative. So far, the Barneys New York store label organic hemp shopping bags are selling briskly at $295. Canvas shoppers by Hable Construction are also popular at $75, and a portion of the proceeds will be used to plant trees in New York City parks. At the high end, a $1,065 tote by French luggage maker Goyard is made from all-natural materials.

'There's obviously something slightly amusing about using a Goyard bag to tote your groceries,' said Barneys Creative Director Simon Doonan. 'But why not be stylish?'

-- AP Business Writers Ernest J. Scheyder and Kristen A. Lee

The BankAmerica gift on Fifth Avenue

NEW YORK (AP) -- Shoppers have a new place to go for the holidays to warm up with a free cup of coffee and take a break from the frantic pace of Fifth Avenue shopping.

The 'BankAmericard Gift on Fifth,' a 3,500-square foot temporary structure shaped like a giant gift box and topped by a 5,000-pound, glowing red ribbon, is surrounded by live pine trees and an outdoor patio.

'You are shopping, you are crazed, you are tired, you can come in here and have a cup of coffee,' said Brad M. Shaw, vice president of events for Concentric Communications, which created the structure for Bank of America Corp.

'Everything here is for everybody. It's our gift to New York City.'

Holiday windows, much like those seen at nearby department stores, line the building's front facade and feature animated, interactive displays with life-sized figures.

Inside, the facility offers free gift wrapping, clean bathrooms, hot chocolate and coffee and a concierge service to help with reservations for the theater, tours and restaurants.

There's a play area for children and shoppers can have their pictures taken in front of a green screen that puts their images in front of scenes such as Central Park's Wollman Rink, or the giant gift box itself.

The 'Gift on Fifth,' opened last week, will remain open through Dec. 2. After that, the structure will be dismantled and most of its materials recycled to make way for a new hotel, Shaw said.

-- AP Business Writer Bree Fowler