You may have bought or received a few greeting cards this Valentine’s Day, and they all had one thing in common: They were probably really expensive. Why is that? Some industry experts argue that the reason why greeting cards are so pricey is that people are buying so few of them. [More]
hallmark
Reminder: Hallmark’s Ornament Launch In July Is Not Christmas Creep
By 7.7.15
We take a firm stand against Holiday Creep, which is when retailers start to merchandise and decorate for a given holiday months in advance. The offending holiday is usually, but not always, Christmas. Every year around this time, we hear from exasperated shoppers who walk by a Hallmark gift shop and see their display of new Christmas ornaments, leading our readers to wonder what this world is coming to. Yet Hallmark’s Christmas displays aren’t what they seem. [More]
Hallmark Planning Mini-Stores Inside JCPenney Locations
By 1.22.15
After a year of discussions and a pilot program in 15 stores, JCPenney and Hallmark are pleased to announced that they might be moving in together. Well, sort of. Hallmark mini-stores may join Sephora and Disney mini-stores inside hundreds of JCPenney locations across the country. [More]
Walgreens Pulls Swastika-Patterned Hanukkah Gift Wrap From Stores
By 12.9.14
Swastikas in any pattern are terrible. But swastikas — intentional or not — in the pattern of Hanukkah-themed items are even more jaw-droppingly terrible. And that’s exactly what a California customer says she found when she went shopping at Walgreens. [More]
At Hallmark, Get Halloween Ornaments For Your Halloween Tree
By 10.21.14
Here at Consumerist, we pretend to hate holiday mashups while secretly loving them. Still, we have to admit that we were a little confused when we saw that Hallmark now has Halloween ornaments. Yes, it’s a long-established fact that the gift chain puts its Christmas ornament collection out in July, but we thought they were just that. Christmas tree ornaments. Not so. [More]
Hallmark’s Ornaments Christmas Creep Up On CVS
By 9.10.14
In our years of posting about the retail menace that is Christmas Creep, we have developed a list of situations that are not eligible to be declared Christmas Creep. For example, craft stores know that you’re starting your Christmas crochet projects in mid-August, and Hallmark always introduces its Christmas ornaments in July. Yet Hallmark has taken its ornament collection to CVS, and reader Victoria is not pleased. [More]
Save Santa: Buy This Hallmark Ornament
By 12.9.13
When we received an e-mail from reader Ryan entitled, “The most brilliantly evil Christmas commercial ever made,” well, our interest was piqued. Surely that bar is very high. There have been some great (terrible) moments in holiday commercial history. [More]
Internet Displeased With Hallmark For Switching Carol’s Lyrics From “Gay” To “Fun” On Ornament
By 10.31.13
In 1794, when “Deck the Halls” was written, if someone said they were having a “gay” time, it meant one thing: Happy. But just because the meaning of that word has changed in the intervening years, many Hallmark customers are not at all pleased that the greeting card company dropped the original “don we now our gay apparel” lyric in favor of “fun” for a new ugly holiday sweater Christmas ornament. [More]
Hallmark UK: Sorry About That Card For 13-Year-Olds Equating Cleavage To Better Gifts
By 12.10.12
In the current social media environment, all it takes is one Twitter user tweeting one simple pic and a firestorm of controversy can be ignited. Such was the case when one Twitter user snapped a picture of a Hallmark UK greeting card telling 13-year-old girls they’ll get better presents when they get “bigger boobies,” and it got picked up by another Twitter user with a whole lot of followers. And cue media storm. [More]
Hallmark Sells Cards That Express Sympathy For Layoff Victims
By 9.28.11
Oblivious to the possibility that the last thing people who lost their jobs need are cardboard reminders of their misfortune, Hallmark has launched a line of greeting cards geared to the downsized. Among the witticisms you can sign beneath and hand over solemnly: “Don’t think of it as losing your job. Think of it as a time out between stupid bosses.” [More]
Hallmark Pulls Card With Audio Clip Over Accusations Of Astronomical Racism
By 6.15.10
It’s so hard to understand each other in this life. First there was that unfortunate honey bun mixup, and now Hallmark is trying to prevent a bunch of press conferences from happening (too late!) by pulling a graduation card from shelves. Why? Because either Hoops or Yo-Yo–I don’t know which character is which–spouts shockingly racist insults and threats when you open the card. Well, maybe. [More]
Christmas Creep Cartoon From Hallmark (Yes, Hallmark)
By 10.11.09
Hallmark’s Shoebox Greetings has a blog. This week, the blog published a delightful cartoon on the subject of Christmas creep.
It's Time To Start Shopping For Christmas Decorations! Oh, Wait…
By 6.25.09
There’s no better way to show your support for the war on Christmas Creep than to strap a bottle rocket to a reindeer ornament, or maybe point a Roman candle at a Santa lawn figure. Now you can do just that, by combining all the explosive fury of July 4th with the heartwarming frivolity of Christmas, thanks to Tuesday Morning.
6 New CPSC Recalls
By 12.24.08
The CPSC announced 6 recalls today: some Foursquare jackets, Hallmark Jumbo Snow Globes, Gardner’s Supply Company Candle-Powered Carousels, Munrie “Newport Rubbed Black” Cribs and Furniture, Woodstock Percussion Toy Drums, and Atomic Skis Ski Bindings.
