Windows
Shopping
How
to find must-have merch without leaving
your desk.
BY LARA
GIFFORD
Last year, my friends noticed a subtle change in
their Christmas bounties. Whereas past years were replete
with Whitman's Samplers, Pez dispensers and commemorative
M&M tins, Christmas '98 bore an abject lack of the utilitarian
presents that had become my trademark. Where was the beef
jerky and potted meat from days of yore, my comrades wanted
to know? And which 7-Eleven now stocked luxurious, personalized
gifts such as silver candle holders and sweet-smelling soaps,
they asked?
It is unthinkable for me to tread in a traditional place
of commerce during the months of November and December.
The Muzak nauseates me, the traffic leaves me terrified,
and under plastic holly and blinking lights, my low-level
disgust of crowds often crescendos into an impassioned,
vitriolic loathing of all humanity. Which doesn't exactly
put me in the holiday spirit.
So it made no sense, these crisply penned gift cards
bearing my name and theirs, attached to normal, thoughtful,
often even lavish presents. By this year, they, and millions
of other Americans, are likely to be in on the secret.
I had discovered the ultimate convenience store: the Internet.
Internet shopping is the most efficient way to tackle
a gift list. Think of it: no road rage, no parking, no
exhaust (vehicular, mental or otherwise), no lines, no
strung-out sales clerks, no "Jingle Bell Rock," no SALE!
SALE! SALE! signs and no blasted wrapping.
But many consumers who are perfectly at home banking,
browsing and learning on the Internet still fear cyber
shopping. They worry about divulging credit-card information,
they cringe over shipping costs, and they fear difficult
return policies. All of these are valid concerns, and
most of them are addressed by the competent people who
put together commercial sites. For example, at the Toys
R Us Web site (www.toysrus.com)
customers are assured that credit-card information is
processed through a highly secure computer system, but
if customers wish, they can also use a toll-free number
to call in their credit card number and complete their
transactions. The site also offers free shipping and allows
customers to return merchandise at local stores. Smaller
stores, or stores that exist only online, are likely to
have less-generous policies, but typically the shipping
costs and return procedures are comparable to those established
by catalogs.
If you've ever been in Pic 'N' Save on a day when the
piccolo version of "O Tannenbaum" is being remixed with
lyrics like "Price check on Aisle 6," take shelter and
cozy up to your computer screen. Here are some sites to
get you started:
www.zingermans.com
Visit the famed Zingerman's delicatessen and bakery
in Ann Arbor, Mich., and you'll be knocked out by the
enormous, deliciously fresh sandwiches and pastries. The
same friendly, we-go-way-back atmosphere that hangs heavily
like so many cinnamon rolls in the shop pervades their
Web site. Among the Scottish goat-milk fudge and English
farmhouse cheese, you'll find snappy interviews, tips
and illustrated histories--all relating to our favorite
topic of conversation: food. There's even a gift-buying
cheat sheet. Sign that slender co-worker who never gains
an ounce between Thanksgiving and Christmas up for the
pastry club. Give Grandma a taste of her childhood with
a large sour cream coffeecake ($36). Or delight someone
who can't be near with a movable feast: The Rockin' Reuben
Sandwich Kit for four comes with all the fixins, potato
salad, pickles, brownies and assembly instructions to
create subs just like they do at Zings ($85).
www.girlshop.com
If you know the color of every awning on every shop
on Northwest 23rd Avenue, this is the place for you. Dozens
of cyber boutiques have a home on the site, all of them
offering unique clothing, hair accessories, handbags and
scarves for women. The site design, which oozes with hipness,
has a relaxing, hypnotic I'm-not-trying-to-get-you-to-buy,
I'm-just-telling-you-a-story-that-contains-lots-of-brand-names
approach.
www.netmarket.com
This is a sort of Internet Costco, but think bargains
rather than bulk. With a $70 membership fee you get deep
discounts on everything from pool tables to computers
to toys. Without the membership fee, prices still run
on the low side, like a GE 25-channel cordless phone for
$29.
www.gifts.com
This site is a must for the true non-shoppers among
us. If you fear bringing an inappropriate gift to the
office party or upsetting your new girlfriend with something
a mite too practical (or, heaven forbid, domestic), take
all your cues from Gifts.com. They've divided presents
into such categories as practical, fun, romantic and pampering.
Expect to find everything from gourmet foods to fanciful
office accessories.
www.of-the-month.com
Your aunt in Akron gets pink cheeks and goose bumps
every time the UPS man shows up at her door. Ensure a
year of excitement by ordering from this site. They send
monthly installments of everything from cheese to flowers
to cigars. Their beer-of-the-month club even comes with
a special book (one recent selection: Complete Idiot's
Guide to Pro Wrestling). Just the light reading to
relax with as you savor one of the 36 bottles of microbrewed
goodness.
www.wicksend.com
Candles, candles, candles. Aromatherapeutic mango
chutney spiked with nutmeg sculpted into a squirrel in
shades of gold, azure and scarlet strike your fancy? Candles
have become so outrageously convoluted and ubiquitous,
yet we still love receiving them. At Wick's End, expect
to find votives, tapers, glowing orbs, beeswax candles,
candle holders and a bevy of candle accessories. The prices
are decent, although the site's set shipping cost of $6.95
can really inflate the price of a small order.
www.petopia.com
Pet owners squeal and smile when you remember their
precious furry beasts during the holidays. But even the
most rabid animal lover may find the notion of a Ferret
Biker Jacket ($12.97) as troubling as we do. But that's
what you'll find among the solid ceramic food dishes and
travel gear up for grabs at Petopia. Other frightening
pet apparel--and there's a lot of it--includes this dazzling
accessory: a $3.97 pink ferret bandanna.
www.momastore.org
Like the catalog, New York's Museum of Modern Art
has an online store filled with unique, distinguished
gifts that will help your boss remember your last name,
and your in-laws remember your birthday. Expect to find
everything from a set of Frank Lloyd Wright votive candles
($30) to a six-strand pebble pearl necklace ($750) to
a rather clinical-looking tricolor cowhide Le Corbusier
chaise longue ($2,290).
www.gear.com
Does little Susie need a lacrosse stick that meets
NCAA specs and is specifically designed for defense and
long-stick middle play? Is Bobby hankering for some new
shin guards and soccer cleats? This discount site should
be your first stop for them, as well as your favorite
hiker, swimmer, rower, dancer, prancer or vixen.
