OUR NOMINEE FOR MOST USELESS PRESS RELEASE

Yes, we’ve been whining all week about a dearth of “news” in this time between holidays, and the following from Wal-Mart didn’t help much. The retail giant wants everyone to know—and we quote from the headline—“Surge in Holiday Gift Card Popularity Means Many Americans Will Choose Their Own Gifts.” (Well, thank you for that, Captain Obvious.) The release goes on to note, “As more than half of Americans have said they would like to receive a gift card this holiday season, Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, predicts that last year's gift card redemption trends will continue.” (You mean they WON’T just stick it in a drawer and forget about it? Crikey!) And after speculating that most redeemers will buy themselves that big-ticket item they didn’t get on Christmas, they tell us, “Another group of gift card recipients will use their cards on practical items that they need, such as food (italics added) and the latest CDs to make their New Year's celebrations complete." Food? A practical item? Who knew?