CLEVELAND, April 9, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- As a movable holiday, Easter is always observed the first Sunday after the full moon either on or following the vernal equinox. This means the date changes from year to year, falling anywhere between March 22 and April 25. A later observance - like this year's April 15 date - is usually good business news, since it provides consumers with more time to shop, and often better shopping weather, too.
"As the industry's fourth largest holiday greeting card occasion, Easter is an important part of our business," said Andrew Gallo, American Greetings (NYSE:AM) Easter program manager. "Because consumers don't view it as a highly obligatory holiday, like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, for instance, it's important that we offer cards that provide the greatest value for their money."
The company offers 760 Easter greeting cards as well as Easter gift bags and wrap, party goods, stuffed animals, stickers, and small novelty items to use as basket stuffers.
Special Values
"More than half of all Easter cards are sent to relatives," Gallo said. "This makes our value packs a real bargain, especially for those who have large extended families. These cellophane-wrapped packages contain either four, six, or eight pre-packaged cards for one price. For example, the four-packs are priced at $2.69, while the six- and eight-packs retail for $4.99. This averages out to just .62 to .83 cents per card."
Individual cards addressed to specific family members like "mother," "grandmother," and "aunt" are also in demand for Easter. This year, American Greetings has increased its selection of value-priced cards, with a full 25 percent priced at $1.99 or less.
Print at Home Coupons
Consumers with home PCs can save even more on their American Greetings card purchases. Store coupons valid for free cards with any card purchase can be printed at home. To access the coupons, consumers simply enter http://corporate.americangreetings.com (note: do not enter the "www" prefix). There, they can click on a special greeting card icon to display and print the coupon. Coupons can be redeemed at any participating American Greetings store locations.
New for Kids
"Since a large percentage of Easter cards are given to children, we've added interactive features such as games and puzzles to many of the cards. Kids can play with them as if they are toys rather than just cards, making them ideal additions to Easter baskets," Gallo said.
Also making big news this year is a special collection of American Greetings jumbo-sized children's Easter cards. Measuring 11-1/2 inches tall by 7-1/2 inches wide, these feature favorite characters like The Powerpuff Girls, Pok‚mon, Barney, Teletubbies, Sesame Street, CatDog, Franklin, and Maisy.
American Greetings is the world's largest publicly held creator, manufacturer and distributor of greeting cards and social expression products. Its staff of artists, designers and writers comprises one of the largest creative departments in the world and helps consumers "say it best" by supplying more than 15,000 greeting card designs to retail outlets in nearly every English speaking country. The company markets cards under the brand names American Greetings, Forget Me Not, Carlton Cards, and Gibson Greetings.
Business units include Balloon Zone, DateWorks calendars, Designers' Collection stationery, DesignWare party goods, GuildHouse candles, Learning Horizons educational products, Magnivision reading glasses, and Plus Mark seasonal gift wrap and boxed greetings. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, American Greetings employs more than 21,000 associates around the world and drives more than $2 billion in annual sales. More information and special offers are available on the corporate web site: www.americangreetings.com.
Editor's Note: Background on Easter customs around the world, Passover card trends, a new collection of Feng Shui-inspired everyday greeting cards, and new collectible line of "Gen Y" cards featuring photos of top "boy bands" available upon request. Phone interviews with Andrew Gallo and digital jpeg photo files of Easter and Passover cards are also available.
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CONTACT: American Greetings
Laurie Henrichsen, Public Relations Coordinator
Phone: (216)252-4943
laurie.henrichsen@amgreetings.com