October 2001 (Newstream) -- It used to be that shopping for teens was one of the most difficult tasks for the holidays. But the days of trying to guess what's hot and what's not may be over. More and more parents are opting to give gift cards for the holidays, and the teens that are receiving these cards couldn't be happier.

According to a national survey of teens conducted by Sam Goody, gift cards are one of the most popular gift ideas for the holidays. In fact, teens list gift cards fourth on their wish list, behind movies, music and video games. Coming in behind gift cards were clothes and books.

"The gift cards have been a huge success at Sam Goody because they make life easier for those buying the gifts, and they are a lot of fun for those that receive them," said Stephanie Maki, director of national promotions at Sam Goody. "Movies, music, and video games are always among the most popular gifts for teens. The gift cards not only give the teens what they want, but also give teens the excitement of going shopping and deciding for themselves what they want to buy."

Sam Goody's survey also found teens enjoy the shopping experience the cards provide. The majority of teens, 51 percent, say they like to take time to look around and figure out how to spend the money, 20 percent say they rush out immediately to do their shopping. Nineteen percent save the cards for a specific new music or movie release that they know is coming out soon. Only 10 percent of teens say save the cards for a rainy day.

An appealing feature of Sam Goody gift cards is that they can be re-loaded when the money runs out. That means parents can give teens an allowance to use at Sam Goody stores and help them learn to manage their money.

Sam Goody is offering a special holiday-themed gift card this year, featuring an image from the movie, "The Grinch," starring Jim Carrey. These cards can be used at all Sam Goody stores and can also be used online at SamGoody.com. Gift cards can be purchased at any Sam Goody location or at the Web site.

Sam Goody was a pioneer in developing re-loadable gift cards, allowing parents to put money into cards that can then be redeemed in stores or online. When the cards were first introduced in 1999, they immediately became a popular gift item, with more than 2.2 million cards sold during the holiday season. Last year, the number of gift cards sold during that same timeframe increased approximately five percent; the actual dollar amount spent on gift cards increased nearly 9 percent; and the average amount spent per card increased more than 4 percent.

Sam Goody is a leader in the music retailing industry. The stores are generally found in malls and are a division of the Minneapolis-based Musicland Group. The Musicland Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY). As of September 30, 2001, The Musicland Group operated 1,309 retail stores in 49 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands under the names Sam Goody (625 stores), Suncoast, Media Play and On Cue. In addition to its four store formats, Musicland also operates four commercial Web sites including: SamGoody.com, Suncoast.com, MediaPlay.com and OnCue.com.