Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 46

2E Reno Gaeite Journal Sunday December 27. 1998 U.tiMJJI!l.U.HIII.g Creative hoppers recycle their unpopular gifts It's two days after Christmas, and you're sitting in your living-room taking stock of the Christmas ing to a store manager. The Eagle has landed in Sparks. Eagle Hardware and Garden, another mega-home and garden emporium, is now open at 2450 Oddie in Sparks. With a not-so-quiet recent opening, Eagle claims an "unmatched selection of 70,000 different home improvement items and guaranteed low prices" on everything from lumber to linoleum.

Details: 356-6333. And, Eagle has another mega-store under construction in Reno at Kietzke and S. Virginia. Watch out Home Depot and Supply One! usually in the same box it came in," said Bob a contractor. "When the pile gets too big, my wife goes through the stuff and decides what to recycle and what to donate." But what happens when things go awry and you forget who gave you which gift and you unknowingly give the same gift back to that person? "I am very sensitive to fragrances, and somehow people always get me soaps and aromatherapy stuff that I can't wear.

So once I repackaged some bath oils and gave them to a friend at her birthday party," said Lynda a retail salesperson. "Several people arrived at the party late, and one of them was the woman who gave ME the oils. I was so embarrassed because I didn't know that the two women knew each other! I left before my friend opened her presents. I guess I'll never know if the two com TK'S bares its inventory of Boyds, Ganz, Artist Bears, Knickerbocker and Applause. This is a warm, fuzzy store for kids and collectors.

Details: 356-2001. Open daily. Rite Aid Pharmacy opened quietly with two locations in Sparks: 1410 E. Prater Way. Details: 355-0220.

And 5485 Sun Valley Blvd. Details: 674-1544. A third store on S. Virginia in Reno next to Shopko opens in January. In fact, a Grand Opening for all three stores will be held at that time.

A chain based in Harrisburg, Rite Aid Pharmacy will compete with Long's and the upcoming Walgreen's (now being built on the corner of Moana and S. Virginia in Reno). Rite Aid, including the pharmacy, will be open 24 hours. Drug prices, due to the chain's tremendous volume, will be low, accord pared notes. No one ever said anything to me." Sometimes, if your friends know that you recycle gifts, they can set you up for a fall.

"I recycle a fair number of the gifts I receive," said John a Truckec business owner. "My girlfriend knew this, so to make sure that I didn't give away the gift basket she bought me to someone else, she stuck a note in the bottom of the basket under the cans of coffee. It was visible only by unwrapping the cellophane and taking everything out of the basket. It was pretty funny, but if I had recycled the gift basket, I would have been 'found out' Grand openings TK'S Toy Stand plays to a young crowd in its new store at 2955 N. McCarran in Sparks (Pyramid and McCarran).

Specializing in bears and dolls, know would appreciate it? That was the general consensus of the 30 or so shoppers I interviewed. In fact, 80 percent of them had recycled a Christmas gift in the last 5 years; of that 80 percent, 70 percent recycled any kind of gift on a regular basis. "I have a large box marked 'gifts' in my guest bedroom closet. Whenever someone buys me a gift I don't like which is often, because I'm really fussy I put it into that box. Then, when I need to get a gift for a friend or family, I rummage through my gift box and usually find just the right thing," said Carol a legal secretary.

"It saves me money, and nothing goes to waste." Are women more likely than men to recycle gifts, you ask. Yes, but only because women give and receive more gifts in general. "When I get something I don't like, I just stick it in the garage, gifts you received. OK, so you like maybe half of them. What do you do with the rest? Raise your hand if you've ever recycled a Christmas gift.

I thought so. Look, don't JV JO ANNA PHILIPS feel guilty. What else do you do with a tie that doesn't go with anything you own or a cologne you can't stand or an item that can't be returned? It's too nice to donate to charity and you don't want it, so why not put it aside and give it to someone you 1 fi I Affluent spenders give fewer pricey gifts Revelers to jam the Las Vegas Strip if Cj -sir jm a. -4 'a i' By Rachel Beck AP BUSINESS WRITER Fearing that their wallets won't be as thick in 1 999, the nation's biggest spenders didn't load up on $1,000 gifts this year as they have in Christmases past. That's not to say the most affluent Americans have stopped spending, but they weren't indulging with the almost insatiable enthusiasm of the last few years.

"Six months ago, I didn't think about what I was buying. Now, I'm watching it a little more," Steve Lee said after doing some shopping along New York's exclusive Madison Avenue. "I can't count on next year being as good as the past few years." Upscale retailers who cater to the rich had enjoyed a few years of unbelievable popularity. Not since the ostentatious 1980s had high-end merchandise been in such demand. In years past, shoppers gobbled up Ca'rtier watches and Gucci pock-etbooks, and few shied away from spending thousands during the holidays on every thing from $50 scented candles to $2,000 cashmere robes.

But business clearly wasn't as brisk this year. Even though the stock market continues to flirt with new records and the U.S. economy remains healthy, many managers and executives look to next year with uncertainty. Some worry about losing their jobs. A wave of corporate mergers, as well as turmoil in financial markets overseas, already has forced many big companies, like Citigroup, Merrill Lynch and Boeing, to slash thousands of positions.

Others fear that lower company profits will translate into meager or nonexistent year-end bonuses. And almost everyone is holding their breath to see what the stock market does next. vv Zjt Jo Anna Philips Is a free-lance writer living in Reno. Questions about shopping? Call 788-6200 or fax 826-8144. Send Information about grand openings or shopping news at least two weeks in advance.

night minimum, with rates up to $3,500 per night. The Flamingo Hilton is putting fliers in its rooms advertising a New Year's 1999 package of $2,200 for four nights. Spokesman Terry Lindberg said the Flamingo was still negotiating with entertainers, as are most ofthe city's resorts. "It's going to be big, no doubt about it," Lindberg said of next year's celebration. "This city will probably be the most popular resort city in the world for the millennium celebration." This year the Flamingo is offering dinner shows featuring the Radio City Rockettes at $130 and Nabors at $150.

Diamond will be performing in the MGM Grand Garden Arena New Year's Eve and Jan. 1, his only West Coast appearances this year. Tickets are $50 to $200. Also at the MGM, Cassidy will be making his final appearance in the stage show EFX on New Year's Eve, with ticket prices $97 and $76.50. Dangerfield will be featured in the Hollywood Theatre, at $127.

Houston will entertain VIP guests in a private party at the Rio Suite Hotel and Casino. The private party will also debut a new disco swing theme at the Rio's Masquerade Show in the Sky, according to spokeswoman Tyri Squyres. The new Bellagio Hotel is sold out. Bocelli will entertain at a private party for invited guests New Year's Eve, then perform at a public concert Saturday, which is sold out. The Mirage is also sold out of rooms, and will feature Siegfried and Roy in their showroom.

Bally's-Las Vegas, also sold out of rooms, will feature Belafonte at 1 1 0 per person and Dayne at $93. Newton-John will be performing at the Las Vegas Hilton, with tickets ranging from $75 to $125 for New Year's Eve. The hotel is sold out. Hall and Oates will perform at The Desert Inn, with the 1 95 tab including dinner, champagne and party favors. Rooms are sold out.

Manson will perform at the Hard Rock Hotel. Cyrus will be featured at The Orleans, Rydell and Sha Na Na at the Riviera, and Les Brown and his Band of Renown at the Stardust. hthmOMktoWmi Associaled Press LAST-MINUTE SHOPPERS: Saint Slaughter, left, look through blown glass figurines at The Vaase in Mall and his wife, Alayna Slaughter, right, of Minneapolis, of America in Bloomington, Minn. 1 tion's fanciest shopping districts found many stores with more salespeople than shoppers. At the empty Bang Olufsen in the Somerset Mall in Troy, salesman Duffy King said there wasn't much interest in the store's pricey electronics, which range from $1,700 to $8,000.

At The Forum Shops, in Las Vegas, the Gap was packed while only a few shoppers trickled in and out of the many high-priced stores. Executive Richard Thalheimer said in a statement. Total sales on the Internet are expected to increase threefold to $3.5 billion in the fourth quarter this year, compared with the same period last year, analysts said. In next year's fourth quarter, online sales are expected to be in the neighborhood of $8 billion, said Forrester Research senior analyst James McQuivey. Analysts said Sharper Image is poised to flourish online because its By Robert Macy ASSOCIATED PRESS LAS VEGAS Some 350,000 revelers are expected to jam the Las Vegas St rip New Year's Eve in what authorities see as a dress rehearsal for an unprecedented crowd expected to welcome in the new millennium.

"We see this year as just a practice session for the crowd we expect to welcome in the year 2000," Nevada Highway Patrol spokesman Scott Flabi said. "Next vear's bash will likelv double the figure, to 600.000 or 700,000." Flabi said the six-lane Strip will be shut down most of the evening to accommodate the annual block party that drew an estimated 250.000 people last year. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is estimating 237,000 visitors over the holiday weekend, creating a $1 15 million economic impact, exclusive of gambling. Tens of thousands of the area's 1.4 million residents are expected to join in the giant party. Many of the city's top resorts are already sold out, although rooms are still available around the city.

Partiesatvariousresortswill feature Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond, Harry Connick The Beach Boys, Andrea Bocelli, Whitney Houston, Harry Belafonte, Olivia Newton-John, Billy Ray Cyrus, Siegfried and Roy, Marilyn Manson, Jim Nabors, David Cassidv, Rodney Dangerfield, Bobby Rydell, Daryl Hall and John Oates. The partying won't come cheap, but will be a bargain compared to early rates posted for those planning to ring in 2000 in this gambling capital. Bennett will be in the main showroom at Caesars Palace. Tickets are $125, and include champagne. Connick and The Beach Boys will be performing at private parties for Caesars casino customers.

Caesars is sold out, with most of the 2,456 rooms going to the coveted high-rollers. "We didn't sell much to the public Year's is an invitation-only holiday," said Phil Cooper, vice president of public relations and advertising for Caesars. Cooper said Caesars will be offering a limited number of rooms for the millennium celebration, starting at $2,000 a night fora four- MORTGAGE SERVICES Sharper Image e-commerce sales rise sixfold "They're not spending like before," said Maria Robles, who works at the Louis Vuitton store. "It's picked up a little, but not like last year." It's not that these wealthy Americans don't have money to spend or that they've turned into Scrooge. Analysts expect sales at the high-end retailers to be modestly higher in 1998 compared with a year ago, but that's a disappointment after a few years of outstanding growth.

particularlygizmo-happyclientsare more likely to shop on the Internet than the average U.S. consumer. "They appeal to a slightly higher-educated customer, people that are into technology and gadgets," said McQuivey. "They're just the kind of people who would buy on the Web." San Francisco-based Sharper Image operates 86 stores throughout the U.S. and mails millions of catalogs each month.

Sharper Image rose 2 38 to 15 14 in late trading. Maurice Mendez i "Many of these people have been spending beyond their means like never before," said Lawrence Crowe, chief executive of Meadow Publications in Mamaroneck, N.Y., which specializes in tracking retailing trends. "But now they are nervous about what could come." That's bad news for the high-end retailers, who are also being hurt by the drop in free-spending Asian tourists. Recent visits to many of the na has begun making for itself. In addition to increasing sales, the items helped boost the company's gross margin by 2 percentage points from a year ago.

The increase in the important month of December will significantly affect earnings for the year, Sharper Image said. "As consumers get even more comfortable with online shopping, I expect Internet sales at our Web site will continue to don't Just fill SOCIAL MaJ m-i is" I name m1 Robert address fill Mendez I CITY 1 fill iVlenae HOME Ihou IK BLOOMBERG NEWS SERVICE Sharper Image a retailer of unusual gadgets and electronic toys, said sales through its Web site rose sixfold from Dec. 1 to Dec. 2 1 The company, which had revenue of $216.8 million last year, also said same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, rose 9 percent, while mail-order sales rose 27 percent. Sharper Image is benefiting from sales of its new line of proprietary products items that the company "Compare Us To Your ftndgrr Rinev, Prtudenl Thomas J.

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