Americans face a tough choice Tuesday morning: watch Barack Obama's historic inauguration, or storm department stores to take advantage of a first-come, first-serve cosmetics giveaway worth $175 million.

The giveaway is the culmination of a class action suit that accused Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Bergdorf, Dillard's, Filene's, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue, among others, of fixing cosmetics prices. Though the giveaway runs from January 20-26, we'd be shocked if the products last for a full day. Consider Macy's giveaway strategy:

...free products will be set on tables in the cosmetics department, said Jim Sluzewski, a company spokesman. "When they're gone, they're gone," he said.

Consumers will be limited to one product worth up to $25, and they will be required to sign a form declaring that they purchased the covered products between May 29, 1994 and July 16, 2003, which, um, you did, right?

For more information, including participating stores and products, visit the class action's website.

Cosmetics Cases Information Website
Cosmetics giveaway starts Tuesday after price-fixing settlement [The Chicago Tribune]
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