Retailer Starts Bad-Gift Boycott Campaign

By George Anderson

The music and video retail chain, Sam Goody, wants to stamp out bad gifts once and for all.

Last year, Goody ran a Bad-Gift Boycott the day after Christmas asking consumers to return unwanted gifts. The response was tremendous as consumers filled a dumpster to overflowing. Having sorted through the junk, Goody developed a list of the most unpopular gifts to keep the well intentioned from making the same mistake this year.

Sam Goody’s “10 Worst Holiday Gifts of 2003” were:

1. Clown Art


2. Homemade Sweaters


3. Puzzles


4. Tube Socks


5. Ties


6. Exercise Videos and Diet Books


7. Underwear


8. Padded Toilet Seats


9. Sausage Sample Packs


10. Cheap Perfume

According to Goody’s Bad Gift Boycott Web site (http://www.badgiftboycott.com/), the gifts consumers dread getting most this year are homemade clothing (34 percent), cheap cologne/perfume (30 percent) and fruitcake (25 percent).

Goody also offers suggestions for getting gifts consumers want this holiday season. Forty-six percent said they wanted DVDs, 24 percent hoped to get video games and 17 percent want gift cards so they can buy for themselves.

The retailer provides links on its Web site to help the gift giving challenged turn over a new leaf this year.

For those not aware if they have a problem in the gift giving area, Goody’s research has identified several groups of the worst offenders. These include Procrastinators, Homemade Gift Givers, Re-gifters, The Giver of Self Improvement, Clueless Dads, Ultraconservatives and Overcompensators. (For a description of each group, check out http://www.badgiftboycott.com/)

Moderator’s Comment: What do you think of Sam Goody’s Bad Gift Boycott as a marketing tool for the holiday season? Are there any other current campaigns
being run by retailers that you think are both unique and effective? –
George Anderson – Moderator