the buzz log
Gift Cards: To Avoid Or Not?
Nothing says "I have absolutely no idea what to buy you, but I guess your friendship is worth about $50" quite like a gift card. However, this holiday season, buyers would do well to beware. USA Today reports that due to all the economic uncertainty, "gift cards can be lumps of coal."
It may seem obvious, but it bears repeating: The economy is tanking and retailers are gasping for breath. Gift-givers should avoid cards from stores that might go out of business. Why? According to USA Today, consumers who hold gift cards from defunct retailers are unlikely to see any sort of compensation.
Fortunately, as Alley Insider points out, "newspapers across the country are warning people about worthless gift cards." In response, some retailers are pointing out that their gift cards are likely to withstand the financial storm. For example, J.C. Penney is stressing that consumers "can feel good about giving a J. C. Penney gift card." Fannie Mae gift cards? Not so much.
Regardless, gift cards remain popular in Yahoo! Search. We looked up the ten most popular cards and discovered an interesting mix of retailers, including some concerned queries for "circuit city gift card balance."
Sail on, Gravy Boat
Gone are the days when the wedding registry consisted of a full set of china and assorted bonbon dishes. That crystal gravy boat has sailed. Today, the blushing bride's wish list gleams with stainless steel juicers, Teflon-coated egg poachers, and Japanese knives made with Samurai-sword blades. At least that's what The New York Times says in a recent article on how kitchen porn has seduced the bridal registry.
Searches on "wedding registry" and "bridal registry" draw throngs of soon-to-be newlyweds to the Web each week. But is The Times right? Have couples forsaken the fine dining department for the kitchenwares section? From the looks of the top searches for wedding registries, the newspaper may be on to something. Target, after all, is more Rubbermaid than Wedgwood...
Filed under: Weddings, Gifts, Registries
Secretly Hating Secret Santa
 Secret Santa Fun |
Among related searches, "secret santa gift ideas" and "secret santa poems" are at the top of the list. Yikes. There's nothing like finding an anonymous haiku about being away in a manger taped to your monitor to make you rethink your choice to participate. "Secret santa riddles" are also making a seasonal surge. Apparently, for some, Christmas isn't so much a time for family as it is a time for taunting work-related acquaintances.
If you've had any unsettling experiences in the past ("A Betty Boop clock! You shouldn't have!"), a round of white elephant may be the way to go. Searches on the slightly mean-spirited style of gift exchange (also known as "yankee swap") are picking up as Christmas approaches. Before agreeing to be party to the madness, however, we recommend you catch Tuesday's episode of The Office. It does a wonderful job of explaining what can (and likely will) go wrong when you put your holiday faith in those you share a bathroom with.
A Generous Gift?
Our first foray into the Search logs revealed several innovative uses of the gift certificate. Though "las vegas gift certificates" earned our personal thumbs-up, the most-searched-on favors lined up to be redeemed in this order...
Meanwhile, the big hairy apes of the credit card biz seem to have company-specific presents firmly in their grasp. Check out these top searches for brand-name cards (and remember, dear shoppers, to keep an eye out for hidden fees and expiration dates).
Filed under: Gifts, Gift Ideas
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nidal Malik Hasan | Breakout! |
| 2 | Fort Hood Shooting | Breakout! |
| 3 | Tyrannosaurus Rex | Breakout! |
| 4 | Fort Hood | 43518% |
| 5 | Tropical Storm Ida | 4377% |
| 6 | Willie Aames | 3325% |
| 7 | Shannon Dedrick | 3299% |
| 8 | Gretchen Rossi | 2702% |
| 9 | Epic Mickey | 2583% |
| 10 | Lee Harvey Oswald | 1907% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danica Patrick | +194 | 207 |
| 2 | Fort Hood | +185 | 185 |
| 3 | Angelina Jolie | +114 | 164 |
| 4 | Rihanna | +39 | 157 |
| 5 | New York Yankees | +54 | 154 |
| 6 | Alicia Keys | +139 | 153 |
| 7 | +1 | 153 | |
| 8 | NFL | +6 | 138 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.