DALLAS — As retailers face a holiday shopping season that is anything but jolly, stores are getting creative as they try to reel customers in.
One trend that seems to being doing the trick is gift cards — not the ones you buy, but the ones retailers are giving away.
"Oh yes, it's very important," said shopper Karen Cobbin at a Best Buy in Mesquite. "You want your money to go as far as it can go."
For example, Best Buy offered a $20 gift card when customers purchased a Nintendo Wii video game console.
"It just shows an added value to our customers," said Best Buy employee Philip Messimer. "It gives them two-for-one gift-giving, even if they want to give that Wii, but they can also give an extra gift for that person."
At Target, buy a video game for $49 and get a $10 gift card free; purchase a $200 mixer and get a $20 gift card free.
It's a deal many customers can't pass up. For retailers, it's a chance to bring customers into the store down the road.
"That's definitely an incentive for me to buy — especially with the economy the way it is right now," said Target shopper Courtney Gates. "We have four children at home; it is nice to have anything extra that's free for sure."
