Brookstone Converts Sharper Image Gift Cards and Gift Certificates to 25 Percent Off Store Purchase

Fox Business News ^ | Wednesday, Feb. 27 2008 | Staff

[Paleo Conservative]

MERRIMACK, N.H., Feb 27, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Brookstone today announced that customers affected by the recent action to suspend acceptance of Sharper Image gift cards and gift certificates could exchange them at any Brookstone Store for an instant 25 percent savings off a Brookstone purchase.

Brookstone, an innovative product developer and specialty retailer of gifts and lifestyle merchandise, said it made the decision after Sharper Image announced on its website it was suspending acceptance of Sharper Image gift cards, rewards cards, gift certificates and merchandising certificates related to Chapter 11 Bankruptcy proceedings.

Brookstone said it would exchange any valid Sharper Image gift card, regardless of value, for the 25 percent in-store discount. "Gift cards" include Sharper Image gift cards, rewards cards, gift certificates or merchandise certificates.

"We feel customers deserve value for their Sharper Image gift cards and gift certificates, and we're confident they can find a great gift or product for themselves at Brookstone," said Brookstone CEO Lou Mancini. "We've already alerted our Store Associates throughout the country to make it as easy as possible to convert Sharper Image gift cards into 25 percent off a purchase at a Brookstone Store."

Customers can exchange valid Sharper Image gift cards and gift certificates at any one of Brookstone's 314 Stores nationwide and receive the instant 25 percent discount off their purchase. This offer is valid only at Brookstone Stores and only for a limited time.

[Sgt_Schultze]

Good move on Brookstone’s part. This will kill off S.I.

[Red Badger]

Great now we can all buy our nose hair trimmers and worthless air purifiers, ad infinitum!.........

[Paleo Conservative]

Great now we can all buy our nose hair trimmers and worthless air purifiers, ad infinitum!........

I'm sure Clemenza will be glad to hear about this.

[Huck]

Sharper Image has always been more of a museum than a store. You go and play with weird technologies, then leave without buying anything. It’s just a place to check stuff out, to be entertained while at the mall.

[Sherman Logan]

You’re right. I always go in there, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually bought anything!

[ken5050]

So I I have a SI card with, say $1.53 left on it..I can go into Brookstone and get a 25% discount on a purchase? If true....look for SI cards to start being sold on E-Bay..

[weegee]

“announced on its website it was suspending acceptance of Sharper Image gift cards, rewards cards, gift certificates and merchandising certificates related to Chapter 11 Bankruptcy proceedings”

The A#1 reason never to give gift cards. They put cash in the company’s coffers that may never be redeamed (lost, stolen, forgotten, or bankrupted).

[Paleo Conservative]

Here's a link to Brookstones's website about their offer. They'll give you a 25% discount no matter what the amount left on the card is, but it's only redeemable in their stores not online.

http://www.brookstone.com/info/content.asp?cust_serv_id=416&cm_re=HDR*Prm*SI-GC

Consumer Notice:
Do You Have a Sharper Image Gift Card?


We’ll take your Sharper Image Gift
Card for ANY AMOUNT and give you
25% OFF
your entire Brookstone® purchase*
(In-store purchase only. Offer not valid online.)

Hurry—limited time offer.

[drb9]

Doesn’t Brookstone stand to make money on this venture? They’ll gather the Sharper Image cards and store them until Sharper Image emerges from bankruptcy. (Isn’t it the case that this is a bankruptcy to reorganize, not to dissolve?) They’re basically having a 25% off sale, and taking in gift cards for later use. Genius . . . .

[ken5050]

The SI cardholders are unsecured creditors, and they are always the first to be wiped out in a bankruptcy. They may be offered a coupon good for say, 20% off purchases, though I suspect that SI will end up liquidating..

[ken5050]

Well, if General Motors were smart..they would start offering 25% off on Chevys to anyone with an SI card..

[rabscuttle385]

The A#1 reason never to give gift cards.

I prefer to just cut a check.

[Mr. Brightside]

Great now we can all buy our nose hair trimmers

It is not just a nose trimmer. It is also a thermometer, an air pressure gage, a GPS and an MP3 player.

[Red Badger]

AND it make MOUNDS OF COLESLAW!..............

[Anti-Bubba182]

Agree, that is very smart.

[Anti-Bubba182]

Any company pulling something like this is never coming out of bankruptcy.

I guess their reputation took a hit when Consumer Reports panned the Ionic Breeze Air Cleaner and they never recovered.

Link to Stories

[longtermmemmory]

Go to Sharper image
examine neat stuff.
leave without buying.
go online and find identical stuff.
buy identical stuff of 50 to 90% less. (no sharper image logo)

live smart.

[Huck]

They would have been better off concealing their store from view and charging a small admission. no one’s ever tried that. Sort of a PT Barnum/Ripley’s approach to mall retail.