Nothing says “I love you, Mom,” like some more medicine for her diabetes, or “You’re the best, Dad,” like a refill of nitro tablets. That’s why the health insurance company Highmark is offering new Healthcare Visa Gift Cards—for about $5 plus an unspecified shipping and handling fee, you can load it with anywhere from $25 to $5,000 to be used exclusively on medical expenses. After the first 9 months, the card emerges from the womb of “I already paid for this!” and starts charging you a monthly $1.50 maintenance fee. Won’t your kid be excited come Christmas morning when she finds out her staph infection is going to get treated?!
gifts
Consumers Plan To Purchase Fewer, Cheaper Presents
By 11.4.07
Prepare for disappointment this holiday season because a survey from Deloitte & Touche says the average consumer is planning to spend less on fewer presents. The average New England holiday shopping budget is down 19% to $517, and the average shopper is prepared to buy only 24 gifts – which to us, still seems like a lot.
30 Frugal Gift Ideas
By 10.11.07
There are times in life when you need to give someone a gift to show you appreciate them and the Starbucks gift card just won’t do.
Toy Prices To Rise 10%
By 9.15.07
Toys will be 10% more expensive next year thanks the toy industry’s latest attempts to protect American children from defective merchandise. Toy makers will use the hike to offset the cost of retaining independent labs to both test for defective and dangerous toys, and provide a measure of PR security.
Consumers could also see higher prices on other Chinese imports such as fish and children’s apparel, but the big price gains in toys could be more jolting.
What Makes For A Good Wedding Present?
By 6.15.07
It’s June, which used to mean nice weather in the Northeast. Now it just means it’s wedding season, which will never change.
Still Not Sure What To Get For Mother's Day? Consumer Reports Has A Guide For You
By 5.12.07
What tips do you have for last minute shoppers? Tell us in the comments. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER
5 Cheap Last Minute Valentine's Day Gift Ideas for Procrastinators
By 2.13.07
Admit it, you’ve done nothing and planned nothing for Valentine’s Day. You have ignored our deals. You have ignored our reminders. Now you need something, anything, for that special someone. It’s ok. We’ve got ideas, you jerk.
Amazon's Valentine's Day Bad Gift Ideas
By 2.13.07
Amazon.com has put together a list of bad gift ideas, and we must say we enjoyed it. Of particular interest is the Fresh Whole Rabbit that we posted about previously. Other bad ideas we like:
Best Flowers For Valentine's
By 2.11.07
With Valentine’s approaching, Consumer Reports reviewed online florists to ask if a rose by any other company would smell as sweet.
NPR's Bittersweet Guide To Chocolate, Yum!
By 2.7.07
After gorging on the good (and not-so-good) stuff, NPR’s stuffed staff reached some decisions about the best — and worst — Valentine’s Day online-orderable gifts to give this holiday season.
The Best? NPR liked quite a few, the most interesting sounding being:
HOW TO: Have Happy Returns
By 1.2.07
The tree is shedding needles and the cheap champagne hangover has faded along with your memory, which means it’s time to think about returning all those crappy gifts you got. Consumer Reports Shopping blog has some tips on making your returns happy:
Last Minute Holiday Wine Guide
By 12.21.06
Wine is the ultimate last minute gift, but how do you that what you grab off the shelf won’t taste like Larry King’s socks? Pick the cutest label? Ohh, look, here’s one with cute puppies on it! No. Dr.Vino of Dr. Vino’s Wine Blog put together a list just for you. We don’t know Dr. Vino personally, but he knows a hell of a lot more about wine than we do, so we’re going to trust him. A few of Dr. Vino’s picks, all under $20:
This Next: Fun Social Shopping
By 12.19.06
We noticed right away that This Next users recommend the “Airzooka”, which we own and love. The Airzooka is the single best way to scare a cat off the sofa. It shoots a “ball of air” (this makes sense once you try it) wherever you point it. Seriously, Airzooka is amazing, and This Next seems pretty cool too. —MEGHANN MARCO
Consumer Reports Tells You What To Waste Good Money On
By 12.13.06
Don’t know what the hell to get someone? Consumer Reports has a list of the “best buy” gifts of 2006. So, even Mom hates it, it sure as shit won’t break. She’ll have that thing for life. Thanks, Consumer Reports? —MEGHANN MARCO
Gifts.com Profiles Personalities
By 12.13.06
We’ve been seeing commercials for the gift shopping site, “Gifts.com”, and wanted to check it out. We pretended that we were someone else shopping for us and took the quiz to find out what we would like. If that sentence made no sense, we apologize. Anyway, the results were acceptable, if not perfect. Gifts.com thinks we are “a thinker” and suggested things like boardgames and sudoku puzzles. Since we play sudoku on our DS all the time, we can’t argue with the results. We do not, however, want most of the crap they suggested, so maybe Gifts.com only works if you’re buying shit for really stereotypical people…in which case you probably already have a good idea what they want. Still, it’s cute and likely will generate ideas for gifts that you might not have thought of on your own.—MEGHANN MARCO
Gift Giving Tip: Pretend Your Loved Ones Are Strangers
By 12.11.06
“Familiarity with another consumer is not particularly helpful when predicting the others’ product attitudes,” Lerouge and Warlop say. They find that even when our loved ones tell us what they like, we think we know better. The findings appear in the December issue of the Journal of Consumer Research.”
Zune: Slow to Start
By 11.15.06
ZDnet is reporting that Microsoft’s iPod-killa is experiencing a slow start. ZDnet was unable to find the mp3 player at most retailers, and experienced mixed reviews at a local Best Buy.
No More Drug Company Pens For Stanford Doctors
By 9.14.06
In order to combat the perception of undue corporate influence upon doctors, Stanford University is banning its hospitals from receiving all gifts from drug company reps. Effective October 1st, everything from pens to coffee cups to catered lunches are verboten.
