CAPTION Winn-Dixie Getting Better at Helping Holiday Shoppers with Gift Giving This Year.

iTunes, Limited Too, Lowe's and More Than 80 Other National Brands Now Available at Winn-Dixie

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The release reads:

WINN-DIXIE GETTING BETTER AT HELPING HOLIDAY SHOPPERS WITH GIFT GIVING THIS YEAR

Finding the "perfect gift" for the

babysitter, mail carrier and various out-of-town family members does not have to mean spending hours going from one place to the next, as it has in past years. Winn-Dixie's gift card mall offers customers variety and convenience in all of its 521 neighborhood stores throughout the southeast.

Winn-Dixie, the Jacksonville-based grocer, has quietly built an extensive array of gift cards that fit any occasion and are available year-round. Gift cards can be purchased in amounts of $10 to $100, and range from Blockbuster and Bass Pro Shops to Borders and Build-A-Bear Workshop (many brands offered are found at end of release).

"Our gift card mall provides Winn-Dixie customers access to over 80 popular national brands, all available in one convenient location," said Rich Romano, prepaid sales manager for Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. "From food and fashion to travel and music, we have a gift card to fit everyone's holiday wish list."

Gift cards are gaining acceptance across nearly every shopper demographic. According to Comdata Stored Value Solutions, 38 percent of those surveyed who have never purchased a gift card are very likely or somewhat likely to buy one or more this holiday season, representing an 81 percent increase in new card users. The company also notes that the average gift card purchaser expects to spend $203 on gift cards this holiday season, up from $186 in 2006.

Minneapolis-based Comdata's annual survey of U.S. consumers also showed that one-third of all gift cards purchased last year were purchased for children or teens, and of those who have purchased gift cards for children, 35 percent were the recipient's parent, and 30 percent were aunts and uncles.

According to Marketing Workshop, Inc. (MWI), consumers purchased an average of 4.83 gift cards for others in the past 12 months. MWI reports men are more likely to say that it is faster to buy a gift card than to shop for an item, and gift cards are primarily purchased for children, friends and immediate family members.

* American Express

* American Idol

* Applebee's

* Bass Pro Shop

* Bed and Breakfast.com

* Best Western

* Bennigan's Grill & Tavern

* Blockbuster

* Borders Books

* BP/Amoco

* Build-A-Bear Workshop

* Cabela's

* Callaway Golf

* Circuit City

* Coldwater Creek

* Cracker Barrel

* Dave & Buster's

* Eddie Bauer

* Game Stop

* Gander Mountain

* GiftFlix

* Golfsmith

* Gymboree

* Hollywood Video

* Hyatt

* iTunes

* #24 Jeff Gordon NASCAR Merchandise Card

* JCPenney

* #48 Jimmie Johnson NASCAR Merchandise Card

* KB Toys

* La Quinta

* Limited Too

* Linens 'n Things

* Longhorn Steakhouse

* Lowe's

* MySpace

* Napster Music

* NCAA College Merchandise and Apparel

* NetFlix

* O, The Oprah Magazine

* O'Charley's Restaurant

* Pier 1

* Radio Shack

* Rainforest Cafe

* Regal Entertainment

* Restaurant.com

* Ruby Tuesday

* Sharper Image

* Signature Days

* Sonic

* Southwest Airlines

* Spa Finders

* Starbucks

* T.G.I. Friday's Restaurant

* The Chart House

* Ticketmaster

* Tony Stewart

* Winn-Dixie

* VISA

* Yankee Candle

* and many more...

Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., is one of the nation's largest food retailers, with 521 stores. Founded in 1925, the company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. For more information, please visit www.winn-dixie.com.