Good News for Procrastinators: Your Friends Actually Do Want Gift Cards!

Good News for Procrastinators: Your Friends Actually Do Want Gift
Cards!
Circuit City Survey Shows Stigma Lifted From Once-Shunned Option



RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 7  /PRNewswire/ -- It happens every year-millions of
holiday shoppers rush into stores at the last minute looking for great holiday
gifts.

  According to Circuit City's "Just what I needed for the holidays" survey*:

  *  Forty-three percent of respondents qualify as last minute shoppers.
     Twenty-seven percent finish shopping within a week of the holiday and
     16 percent finish shopping the day before the holiday!

  *  Men in particular appear to deserve their reputation as
     procrastinators.  Almost one in five said they're still shopping the
     day before, compared to 13 percent of women.

  A favored solution:  Gift Cards


Long considered the last-ditch hope of desperate shoppers, gift cards have
emerged as a popular choice for giver and recipient alike.  The Circuit City
survey also showed:

  *  Gift cards are the preferred last minute shopping strategy.  Forty-five
     percent said they buy gift cards when shopping at the last minute while
     38 percent go to the mall and hope for inspiration.  Fourteen percent
     shop online for last minute gifts.

  *  Eighty-two percent of respondents said they like receiving gift cards;
     the vast majority enjoy using the cards to choose the gift they want
     on their own schedule.

  Last minute gift ideas:


Gift cards: Circuit City offers gift cards in values from $5 to $9,999.99. They
can be purchased and redeemed in stores nationwide and on
http://circuitcity.com/.

Cool gadgets: Circuit City's cool gadget assortment features something for
everyone.  From a bug-shaped massager to a remote barbeque thermometer, these
gadgets are fun and affordable.

  *  Bug Massager, $7.99: Cute, fun and therapeutic!
  *  Hand-cranked Radio, $19.99: Perfect for the household emergency kit --
     no batteries required!
  *  Power Wine Opener, $22.99: No arm twisting here.  A CO2 cylinder pushes
     the cork right out of the bottle!
  *  Combo FM Radio/Pedometer, $19.99:  Walk-off those pounds while you're
     listening to some tunes!
  *  Remote Barbeque Thermometer, $39.99: Great for grilling when it's hot
     or cold outside!



Internet: Circuitcity.com features more than one million products -- from
televisions to computers to toys to music, movies and games.  Shoppers can
choose to have their order shipped directly to their home, to the gift
recipient, or they can pick up the products in the store nearest them within
minutes using Circuit City's In-Store Pickup option.

*The Circuit City "Just what I needed for the holidays" survey was commissioned
by Circuit City Stores, Inc. and was conducted on the Internet by Decision
Analyst of Arlington, Texas.  More than 2,600 adults responded.  The survey's
margin of error is +/- 1.9%.

Contact Information:

If you would like to visit one of our stores or would like more information,
please contact:

  For States A-M: Steve Mullen, [phone], 
  For States N-W: Kathie Hess, [phone], 

  About Circuit City Stores, Inc.


Richmond, Va.-based Circuit City Stores is a leading specialty retailer of
consumer electronics. Circuit City operates 624 Superstores and five mall-
based stores in 160 U.S. markets. Its International segment operates through
more than 1,000 retail stores and dealer outlets in Canada. Circuit City also
operates a Web site at http://www.circuitcity.com/.

(Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010709/CCLOGO ) 

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010709/CCLOGO

http://photoarchive.ap.org/

DATASOURCE: Circuit City Stores, Inc.



CONTACT:  For States A-M: Steve Mullen, [phone],

, or For States N-W: Kathie Hess, [phone],

, both of Circuit City Stores, Inc.



Web site:  http://www.circuitcity.com/ 

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