Feature News

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The perfect gift idea. So elusive, yet so vital to the sanity of holiday shoppers everywhere. Borders and its expert buyers have come to the rescue this season with the "Wonderland of Perfect Gifts" shop at www.borders.com/gifts that identifies 80 different interest areas and provides specific gift ideas in every price range, covering everyone on any shopper's holiday list with a total of more than 3,000 gift ideas and a completely unique shopping experience.

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Does the neighborhood "Grill Master" live next door? If so, in just seconds at the "Wonderland of Perfect Gifts," shoppers will find 25 recommendations that will light his fire priced from $12.95 to $30, including books ranging from "Al Roker's Big Bad Book of Barbeque" and "Beer Can Chicken" to Bobby Flay's "Grill It!" and Mario Batali's "Italian Grill." How about that sister who is a serious reader? She will seriously love any of the more than 30 gift suggestions Borders has for "Fans of Literary Fiction" that include "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski, Junot Diaz's "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" and Brunonia Barry's "The Lace Reader," among other literary reads. Have a co-worker who is a real crack-up? Just click on "Humor Hounds" and over 20 gift ideas pop up ranging from the $6.99 "Redneck Dictionary III" by Jeff Foxworthy all the way to the $89 collector's edition "Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbert." No matter who is on holiday shopping lists, Borders will unite shoppers with a custom gift list for everybody from "Blu-ray Buffs" and "Manga Readers" to the "Mystery Minded" and those living a "Digital Lifestyle" who crave everything from the Reader Digital Book by Sony and e-book downloads to photo services from Shutterfly(R). With a special place in its heart for kids, the Borders site has hundreds of gift ideas for children of all ages including the delightful Borders-exclusive teddy bear from Ty(R), who is aptly named "Chaucer" and stars in his own companion book "Chaucer's First Winter."

"Where else but Borders can shoppers truly find something for every person on their shopping list, whether they be a 'Pop Art Lover,' 'Armchair Traveler,' 'Crafter' or even into 'The Undead'?" said Borders Group Executive Vice President of Merchandising and Marketing Rob Gruen. "Not only is there something for everyone, but shoppers can give thoughtful, meaningful, long-lasting gifts while spending a little or a lot with hundreds of thousands of book, music and movie titles under $10 that are featured in special value-priced lists that today's price-conscious consumer will really appreciate."

Borders.com shoppers who see what they want can buy right away online and have their gifts shipped for free (no matter how small the order) to any Borders or Waldenbooks store for pick-up (a boon to parents wishing to avoid little prying eyes) or, for orders over $25, can have their gifts shipped to their home or office at no charge. To receive gifts by Christmas Eve, the last day to order and use free shipping in the Continental U.S. is Dec. 16. Not that shoppers or gift-getters will need to, but Borders will take returns on Borders.com purchases in any Borders or Waldenbooks store.

Customers who spend $100 or more on an order at Borders.com are eligible to receive no payments for 90 days using the Bill Me Later(R) payment option. Bill Me Later is a convenient way to pay because no credit card is required. Customers who wish to pay using this option simply provide their date of birth and the last four digits of their Social Security number, then proceed to check-out. The order is shipped right away, and customers enjoy the flexibility of paying for their purchase over time in installments.

The www.borders.com/gifts site is also jam-packed with special features including the Holiday Music Jukebox, which lets shoppers preview cuts from 15 different holiday CDs including two titles exclusive to Borders-Aretha Franklin's first-ever holiday record "This Christmas Aretha" and Anuna's "Christmas Memories." Also listen to samples from recordings by Tony Bennett, Enya, Harry Connick, Jr., Josh Groban, Amy Grant and James Taylor. Customers who like what they hear can buy the CD or purchase a download with just a click.

Find distinctive free stuff at www.borders.com/gifts such as printable coloring sheets and a letter-to-Santa template for kids featuring the quirky characters painstakingly hand-drawn by talented Borders artist Charles Wagner. Each character symbolizes a gift-recipient personality including the colorful princess of "Family Movie Night" and the foam-fingered "Sports Fan," among dozens of others such as the spoon headed-fork footed "Busy Cook" lady and the motorcycle-riding canine for "Dog Devotees." Grown-up shoppers can download "Wonderland Elves" gift tags and table place cards featuring the distinctive Borders snowman and snowflakes-all for free and only from Borders.

Of course, Borders welcomes all shoppers to visit its stores as well, where this holiday season a host of free in-store events will be held including special "Twilight" movie preview events Nov. 15 and an upcoming "Turkey Day" party for families Nov. 22 among other happenings designed to highlight Borders' role as a gathering place in communities across America. Find location information and an event schedule for each store by using the Store Locator at Borders.com.

About Borders Group, Inc.

Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE: BGP) is a leading retailer of books, music and movies with more than 28,000 employees. Through its subsidiaries, the company operates more than 1,100 stores worldwide primarily under the Borders(R) and Waldenbooks(R) brand names and recently launched Borders.com for online shopping. For more information, visit www.borders.com/aboutus.