BENTONVILLE, Ark., December 07, 2006 – This Christmas, millions of Americans will be sending gifts to family and friends in New York, Los Angeles, and everywhere in between. With holiday shipping deadlines rapidly approaching (USPS parcel post deadline is 12/13, FedEx Ground deadline is 12/15, and UPS express mail deadline is 12/22), there are only a few days left to find the right gifts for everyone on your list that are easy to find and mail.
With the U.S. Postal Service expecting to deliver billions of letters, packages and cards between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the easier it is to mail a gift the faster it is for everyone. When it comes to gifts-to-ship—and last-minute shopping—everyone knows that gift cards are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. So in addition to the all popular Wal-Mart Gift Card (starting at $10.00), available in a variety of festive Christmas and holiday expressions, Wal-Mart is unveiling a new list of popular gifts easy to wrap and mail – in a variety of categories – to be found under one roof!*
Wal-Mart’s Top 12 “Shop, Ship and Save” gift ideas include delicious holiday food assortments, stylish home accessories, home entertainment items, cool toys, affordable fashion, jewelry and even “green” gift ideas – each under $30!
1. Decembers Hottest DVD Releases (under $25) -- Lightweight and very easy to mail, DVD movies are an easy find and the selection of movies at Wal-Mart brings added value! Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest will be one this years hottest DVDs to own, and Wal-Mart not only offers the single disk, but also a 2-disk Special Edition purchase or a 2-pack DVD/CD that includes an exclusive selection of pirate songs for younger pirates fans. With the purchase of the Superman Returns DVD at Wal-Mart, customers can also choose from three video download format options – - $1.97 for portable devices, $2.97 for PCs/laptops, and $3.97 for both portable devices and PC/laptops.
2. Cookie and Candy Towers (under $10) - These tempting presents are "ready-to-go" and are available pre-wrapped, pre-packaged and pre-decorated in holiday themes. Snowman and elf towers contain fruit bon bons, vanilla creme cookies and chocolate tea cookies. Or send holiday themed box towers filled with Irish cream hot cocoa mix, coffee cream-filled chocolate bon bons, chocolate chip cookies and butter cookies.
3. Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Recipe Card Collection ($13.87) – This collection is filled with 200 recipes from New York Times best-selling author Sandra Lee. Exclusive to Wal-Mart and SAMS CLUB stores this season, these full-color recipe cards are ready-to-use in a beautiful red recipe box and feature the Food Network show Semi-Homemade Cooking with host Sandra Lee’s philosophy of combining store-bought ingredients with fresh foods to create simple, delicious dishes that everyone will think are made from scratch.
4. Holiday Beauty Gift Sets (under $20) - Wal-Mart has a wide selection of popular bath and beauty essentials for her and colognes for him in easy-to-wrap and box packaging that includes an assortment of blended products under $20. For example, Simply Basic Indulgences gift sets include bath soap, glove, pouf, lotion, mist and gels in assorted scents for under $8. For men, Wal-Mart offers popular colognes in gift sets at great prices, such as Nautica (gift pack under $19) and Axe (gift set under $8).
5. Csquared Cheese Board ($29.92) – This stylish cheese board is part of Wal-Mart’s exclusive Csquared holiday home collection, designed by celebrity lifestyle and design expert Colin Cowie. The board contains serving pieces and cheese picks and adds elegance to any holiday hors’d oeuvres spread.
6. Chunky Knit Throw ($18.88) – The perfect gift to snuggle up by the fireplace with, the stylish chunky knit throw will look beautiful in the home of anybody on your gift list.
7. VTech Bilingual Learning Laptop ($19.83) – Whether your little one says “Merry Christmas” or “Feliz Navidad,” this learning laptop speaks volumes, and is one of this season’s most popular toys.
8. Monopoly Here and Now Edition ($15.00) – “Pass Go” and surprise a lucky family with a modern version of America’s favorite board game. Players can move with cool tokens that are iconic to life here and now, own popular destinations from across the United States, and buy and sell at values reflecting current market prices.
9. NBA Live 2007 video game ($19.92) – This exciting video game will become an instant slam-dunk with the basketball lover on your gift list.
10. George Baby Organic Cotton Clothing ($17.92) – A cozy gift for the littlest ones on your list, George Baby Organic infant clothing is made with 100 percent certified organic cotton. Designed for infants aged 0-9 months, the line includes stylish wintry sweater sets, with some sets including coordinating sweaters and hats.
11. Cashmere Sweaters ($19.99) – Help the luxury lover on your gift list stay warm and look sophisticated this winter with a 100% cashmere sweater. Available for both men and women, in a variety of colors.
12. Circle Pendant 10kt gold with 18-inch gold-filled chain ($19.97) – For the person on your list who wants to sparkle, this wonderful piece of jewelry makes the perfect gift at a reasonable price.
Many of these items are also available online at Walmart.com (www.walmart.com), which provides another convenient shopping option for customers to find more values on popular gifts. Customers can click and ship to loved ones in a matter of minutes, and also select personalized notes and gift wrapping for thousands of items. All shipping deadlines for online orders can be found at www.walmart.com.
Important Shipping Information
This year, UPS estimates that it will deliver 21 million packages on its busiest day (12/20) and FedEx estimates that 9.8 million packages will move through its global network on its busiest night (12/18). The holiday deadlines are as follows:
- December 13 – parcel post (USPS)
- December 18 – first-class mail (USPS)
- December 22 – express mail deadline (USPS)
- December 23 -- UPS’s normal services available with regular pickup and delivery commit times until Saturday, December 23.
- December 24 & 25 – UPS SonicAir, same-day service.
About Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)
Every week, more than 127 million customers visit Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam’s Club locations across America. The company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $245 million to local United States communities. To learn more, visit www.walmartfacts.com, www.walmart.com, or www.walmartfoundation.org
*Prices may vary by region and/or market