Jean Haley has seen it happen. Hiding around the corner behind a Craftsman tool aisle in Sears, she watches the husbands- and wives-to-be registering for their desired wedding gifts.
“We give them a scanner and the first thing that happens is that the man takes control of the scanner, like a TV remote control,” said Haley, director of customer relationship marketing for Sears, Roebuck and Co., headquartered in Chicago. “And then they head off to the home improvement department, which has garden equipment and tools.”
What Haley describes is a relatively new phenomenon — men getting more involved in registering for wedding gifts. In addition, today’s couples are registering for items their parents wouldn’t have dreamed of asking for just 20 years ago.
Haley says Sears has had a gift registry service for four years.
“For the first time, men really get to participate in getting the gifts they want,” she said. “They love yard equipment, so we’ll see basic things like rakes and leaf blowers, but also other things to entertain outdoors, like barbecue grills are very popular, barbecue tool sets, picnic tables, umbrellas and lawn furniture.”
Kathy Collins, a dental office manager in San Diego, says Haley accurately describes her registry trip to Sears with then husband-to-be Don Collins.
He grabbed the scanner and said, “It’s mine ’til we’re done,” she recalled, laughing.
The couple, who married two years ago, also registered at another department store for some of the more traditional items, such as bath towels, sheets and glassware.
But, when they opened their gifts, Kathy said, “Don felt guilty that he got a lot of tools, like I got cheated,” she said. “But I didn’t feel that way.”
A lot of couples aren’t cheating themselves at all when it comes to registering for gifts. Brides and grooms are asking for items that relate to their personal hobbies and interests, not just practical things for the home.
“Now, you’re seeing technological gadgets, like his-and-hers Palm Pilots,” said Robyn Spizman, a self-described “gift guru” and author of “The Perfect Present,” as well as more than 60 other books. “I’ve seen his-and-hers everything from fishing rods to motorcycle helmets. It depends on the bride and groom.”
Another popular retailer with a gift registry is REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.), where couples, or anyone for that matter, can choose from among 78,000 products, including gear for camping, hiking, bicycling, kayaking and other outdoor sports.
“This gift registry was developed as an alternative to the traditional gift registries,” said REI spokesman Mike Foley. “It’s for folks who wanted to be able to get cool gear and not a toaster.”
Foley isn’t sure how long REI’s gift registry has been in existence, somewhere between 11 and 15 years, but he says its popularity has grown, with gift registry sales up 15 percent over the last year.
“It really runs the gamut,” said Foley, about what most people ask for. “But primarily, people tend to register for more traditional camping items, like tents, sleeping bags, thermal pads and cook sets … all the smaller items that really help you out when you’re camping.”
John and Kathy Nemmers, who both work for Global Crossing Telecommunications in Denver, registered for about 20 items at REI before their October 1999 wedding.
“I was really into it,” said John about the registry experience. “I’m a typical guy when it comes to gear.”
The couple registered for camping gear for their outings in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana, where they camp near rivers and fly-fish.
Rob and Cindy Krier, a newspaper editor and a full-time student from San Diego, also registered for quite a few camping items at REI before they got married 11 years ago.
They also registered at a major department store, fortunately, because as it turned out the idea of registering somewhere nontraditional was too foreign to their friends and family members.
“We got one thing from REI,” said Cindy. “A lantern. It was a very nice lantern, though.”