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It's a make-it or break it time for retailers. The holiday selling season is always a critical time for retailers, but this year this may be even more true. With several retailers already falling victim to a drop in consumer spending, and filing for bankruptcy, retailers will be navigating through some tricky waters. Consumers are strapped for cash due to high energy and food prices, and unemployment is rising. The recent credit crunch has made it more challenging for retailers and consumers to borrow.

This blog will look at the winners and losers in the retail space. Who has the right strategy to capture consumer dollars? It also will look for trends in consumer spending and how that will impact the economy.

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Dec.23

5:04 PM ET

Tuesday, 23 Dec 2008

Last-Minute Gifts for Her … and for Him

Posted By:Cindy Perman

Topics:Holiday Central | Economy (U.S.) | Consumers

Sectors:Personal and Household Goods | Retail

FOR THE MEN:

A GPS Device. Here’s one way to avoid that men-don’t-stop-for-directions pitfall: Get him a GPS device like a Garmin, TomTom or Magellan. He can mount it to the dashboard, or, if he’s an outdoorsman, carry it with him on hikes or hunts. Plus, there’s that whole distract-a-baby-with-a-mobile factor: It’ll keep him occupied for hours, plotting directions to places he may or may not go! The best part is, these are widely available at electronics stores like Best Buy, department stores — even Wal-Mart.

Massage Cushion. A full-on massage chair is a bit of a commitment décor-wise, not to mention wallet-wise. This is a great way to give him a massage anywhere in the house — while you’re off doing something else! You can get them at department stores, Bed, Bath & Beyond — all over, really. It’s worth it for the heated seat and lumbar alone.

This may just be the best 100 bucks you ever spend!

Sports Tickets. With college bowl season underway and the NFL playoffs coming up, why not get your sports fan tickets to see one of his favorite teams? Stop by StubHub.com, a ticket marketplace, and you can get tickets to the Orange Bowl or Cleveland Cavaliers for as low as $5! It’s the Web, so you can even buy them at 4 a.m. Christmas morning.

If you can't decide which sport to pick, here’s a helpful hint: The best deals are in the NBA, with tickets starting at $1 — for top teams! Tickets to the Orange Bowl, which starts on Jan. 1, start at $8. NFL playoff tickets are as low as $50.

StubHub doesn’t sell the tickets directly, but they do guarantee them. So, no worries about shady online scalpers preying on unsuspecting wives.

Here’s how it works: Order the tickets online. Then pick them up at the game or have them emailed to you.

One great way to present them: Pick up a sweatshirt for his favorite team. Roll it, tie it off with a bow and attach a festive holiday envelope containing the tickets. If you really want to be the best wife ever, tell him to take one of his friends — because he deserves a guy’s night out!

Flip Video Mino. These are super sleek, easy-to-use, pocket-sized camcorders. It’s not for the serious filmmaker, but maybe the guy who likes to make YouTube videos or film family gatherings. It can record up to 60 minutes of video with a 2x digital zoom. You can choose from a variety of “skins,” — including your own photos — for added personalization and style.

And, you’ve set yourself up for the coolest birthday gift ever: The underwater case for your flip camcorder. He can take it snorkeling on your next trip to Hawaii, or just play with it in the tub!

Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock. Normally liquor isn’t the kind of thing you give your man as a gift but Chocolate Bock is one of those things he’ll go wild for, and thank you for being the one woman who understands him! It’s a beer mixed with fine “noble grade” Swiss chocolate made from rare, wild cocoa beans from the Bolivian rain forest. It’s got a rich, malty taste with a velvety finish that makes Guinness look like vitamin water. Perfect to warm up with your love on a cold winter’s night. And, at $14.99 a bottle, it’s a perfect fit for his Christmas stocking.

Hangtimer iPhone App. If your guy is a ski freak or mountain biker and has an iPhone, stuff his stocking with this app and he’ll love you forever. The hangtimer “uses the iPhone’s accelerometer and some hairy math” to measure your air time on jumps! It also works on rollercoasters. And, as if it hasn’t dazzled you enough, it will use its little GPS brain to track what resort you’re at and automatically download snow reports, lift status and trail maps. It can also plot your jumps on a map and keeps track of your 10 best jumps. Sweet!

If he doesn’t already have an iPhone, maybe you should get him one plus the Hangtimer App. If that’s a little too pricey, Hangtimer makes a stand-alone gadget that does all this. Check out www.hangtimer.com/iphone/ and www.hangtimer.com.

Oh, and just to completely blow his mind: The accelerometer uses the same technology as NASA does in its spacecraft. Oh yeah, that’s right. It is rocket science!

EyeClops NightVision Goggles. When I was writing about these goggles as a toy pick a week or so ago, several men in the office went — “Oh, wow, cool!" and one even went so far as to say, "I woulda sold my best friend for a pair of those when I was a kid!” Instead of hearing him rant that he wishes they had stuff like that when he was a kid, get him the goggles and let him be a kid again. Turn out the lights and let him run around for a little bit. ($60 at Toys R Us.)

MiJam Pro Air Drummer. Fulfill his wanna-be-a-rockstar fantasy with these wireless drumsticks — without sacrificing your precious hearing and concentration. He’ll just plug in the headphones and no one will hear him rockin’ out like Keith Moon. Well, in his head, anyway! ($40 at Toys R Us.)

Parting Tips: Do a little digging online before you hit the mall. That will get your creative juices flowing and help give you some targets, instead of just wandering around the mall aimlessly, bumping into the 6 million other people there and punting and buying a crappy gift. You're better than that. Second, take a spin around the house before you leave — check the shower, the closet, the vanity — just to remind yourself of your partner's style, color preferences, fragrance preferences, etc. Nothing lands you in the doghouse faster than a gift that says I have no idea who you are.

Now go get 'em, tiger.

Rrrrrrauuuurrrrrrr!!!!

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