CQ WEEKLY – VANTAGE POINT Dec. 15, 2012 – 1:19 p.m. Senators Target Expiration Dates on Promotions By Shawn Zeller, CQ Staff Holiday shoppers are picking up lots of promotional gift cards this month. The deals have become ubiquitous. The outdoor retailer REI, for instance, is offering a $20 card for every $100 a customer

State Tax Snapshot: Gift Cards Targeted for Escheat Enforcement
Gift cards are exempt from unclaimed property reporting requirements in many states. In states where gift cards are subject to escheatment, a three-to-five year presumed abandonment period applies. But a growing minority of states are stepping up their efforts to subject unredeemed gift card amounts to escheatment.

Store-branded gift cards a better value than bank-sponsored prepaid cards …Bizjournals.comAccording to the 2012 Gift Card Survey conducted by Bankrate.com, 75 percent of prepaid gift cards offered by financial institutions charge maintenance or dorma…

ABC News (blog)Store-Branded Gift Cards Have Lowest Fees, Survey FindsABC News (blog)According to Bankrate.com's annual Gift Card Survey released today, store-branded gift charges have fewer purchase fees than those issued by banks and credit card …

Gift card exchanges began popping up after consumers started selling or trading their unused gift cards on their own – often through unsafe channels. RGCA recommends consumers to educate themselves on gift card exchanges before selecting one. Read the full story.  

TJX Acquires Internet Offpricer Sierra Trading Friday December 21st, 2012 – 3:19PM Sierra Trading Post, an offprice Internet retailer based in Cheyenne, WY, now is part of The TJX Cos, Inc. The traditional offpricer purchased the Internet operation for $200 million, subject to customary post-closing adjustments, TJX announced. The company paid the purchase in cash

WASHINGTON D.C., July 8, 2014 – Americans love giving and receiving gift cards. They are always in demand and present retailers with significant incremental sales opportunities. This is according to new consumer research from the Retail Gift Card Association (RGCA). The Association surveyed more than 1,100 US consumers on their use of gift cards, preferences

BENTONVILLE, Ark., April 4, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — According to Walmart customers, when it comes to celebrating the spring’s biggest family holiday, Easter, the ability to personalize their Easter basket and including fresh ingredients in the family meal are key motivators. Walmart listened and has broadened its Easter assortment to ensure customers can purchase

By jmosscrop Created 12/22/2011 – 11:21am By Craig Johnson, Customer Growth Partners Despite being only the penultimate Saturday before Christmas, 2011’s “Super Saturday” Dec. 17 broke the all-time record for holiday spending, with an estimated $26 billion in total retail sales, according to retail consultancy Customer Growth Partners. The total was just shy of the