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Retailers are turning to new gift-card gimmicks as they try to lure shoppers into their all-too-empty stores and increase holiday sales. Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus this year is giving free $50 cards to thousands of shoppers to “drive customers to our stores.” Target will hand out cards worth $10 to shoppers who spend at least $100 before noon the day after Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, Best Buy is allowing multiple gift-givers to contribute money to a single card, to cover big-ticket items like flat-screen televisions. By turning the cards into promotions that attract shoppers before the holidays, stores are augmenting their longtime strategy of selling gift cards as a service to harried relatives and friends. Read the full article