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a SECTION THE HERALD Wednesday November IS ISffJ CHRISTMAS GIFTS Microwave oven is a hot gift idea SHOPPING Heres how to beat the holiday rush Shop til you drop is a phrase that takes on added significance this time of year Then are however efficient and hasslefree ways to do holiday shopping even at the last minute Experts estimate that athome shopping will total more than bil lion this year The term at home en compasses everything from tradi tional mallorder and catalog shopping to hightech television lopping Though Though the methods of athome shopping have changed dramatically shoppers still want safe delivery of a quality gift Florists De livery for example pioneered the flowersbywire Industry in when a handful of florists experimented with sending their outoftown orders by telegraph Today the com puterized ordertransmission system helps ensure timely accurate orders More holiday shoppers are now us ing mailorder catalogs Such direct marketing accounts for 14 percent of all retail transactions And to the de light of mailorder shoppers as many as leading consumer catalogs will be available for purchase at maga zine stands and bookstores for the first time this season Shoppers pay 1 to for each catalog recouping outlays by using discount stickers on order forms One of the hottest concepts to bit the since the music video is television shopping Over 20 shopping programs and networks feature an- TABLES can be brightened with an FTD bosquet delivered In fireside basket Its easy to order and send this gift and many others by telephone right now by calling tollfree num bers A number of departmentstore chains have moved into this market with televisiondisplayed catalogs that can be accessed and manipulated by a touchtone phone Even more sophisticated systems let computer buffs shop at home with their personal computers By tele- products viewers are asked to order scan lists of merchandise and then punch in codes to place an order The goods arc charged to the purchasers credit card and sent promptly by mall Others prefer personalshopping services Many department stores of fer their own but surrogate shop pers can be hired independently to shop every store in town MSN New homeowner Keith Jacobson wondered what to give his wife for Christmas there were so many things that the newly wed couple needed Mary Thomas was worried about her collegeage son cooking for him self at his offcampus apartment Bill Winter wanted to give his yearold mother something that she would really be able to use not just another Christmas gift that would gather dust In her closet John and Susan Campbell a twoca reer couple with schoolage children were looking for a mutual gift that would help them belter organize their limited time What do these people nave In com mon Theyre among the many gift- givers who will purchase a new mi crowave oven this holiday season More than 12 million microwaves were sold in the United States last year according to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers predicts that percent of Americas million households will be equipped with microwave ovens by the end of The gift of a microwave is ex tremely practical says Janet director of home economics for the WC1 Major Appliance Group manufacturers of Wblte- and microwave ovens Its something that will be used virtually every day Everyone from single students to retired grandparents can benefit from the labor- energy- and time- saving advantages of microwave cooking The holidays arc an excellent time to give a microwave anyone who en tertains will instantly appreciate Its versatility Whether Its heating up a frozen entree for a quick meal GIFT FOR all seas Is a microwave oven Frigldalre ci ty model features browning element to enhance roasted and baked foods automatic temperature probe and three cooking stages to cook baked potatoes defrosting vegetables or preparing a complete holiday dinner a microwave oven Is fast becoming one of the busiest ap pliances in the kitchen Todays microwave ovens do more than just heat meals Some models feature a 1000watt browning ele ment to enhance the appearance of roasted or baked foods A microwave is perceived as a fun home appliance for giving not a necessity but a luxury Item says The gift recipient soon moves from simple tasks like boiling water and baking potatoes to more advanced cooking techniques and freezer micro wave planned menus Thats when the true benefits of own ing and using a microwave oven be come readily apparent Todays models range from basic to sophisticated and from compact lowpowered units Ideal for reheating single servings to highpowered full- size models for fullscale cooking and meal preparation Before selecting a microwave oven consider these questions Who will use It Rarely Is the fe male household head the exclusive user of the appliance In percent of homes other household members also use the microwave including percent of husbands 367 percent of children age to 17 29 percent of other adults at home and 16 3 percent of children under reports How will it be used Sometimes planned usage underestimates actual usage as Is the case with percent of current owners who admit to using the appliance more often than origi nally planned On the average the mi crowave Is used four times per day but at least percent of owners use it six or more times dally Choosing a VCR as a holiday gift CASSETTE recorderplayer with HANDMADE deluxe attache case by STUFF a Hocking with a Howard variable speech control is a practical Davfdoff of Geneva with re- Miller alarm clock gift Its a GE movable humidor for cigar smokers And a hefty price A VCR can be an Ideal gift but because technology is moving at a rapid pace choices can be bewildering Marino Andriani senior vice presi dent of Emerson Radio Corp offers these tips to help you choose the right VCR There are two types of models top- loading and frontloading The latter prevents dust from getting Into the unit The choice of VCR tnpe format is cither or Beta Neither type of VCR can play the others tape VHS Is by far the most common format and in the videotaperental store there are far more VHS titles to choose from than Beta The VCR comes with two or more heads A video head records and reads the videotape Both the two- and fourhead systems provide the same quality reception in the regular view ing mode The fourhead system only differs in the special effects modes such as freeze frame and slow with each cable company you In many cases VCR tuners are scribe t0i modes of scram bleTV compatible A subscriber to a applied you may need an basiccable service will receive most unscrambler box for certain unscrambled channels without the programming need of a converter box Check this A wireless infrared remote control transmits a signal at the push of a but ton to perform several VCR functions The VCR itself requires only a remote sensor to pick up the signal This type of remote is used most commonly with electronic tuners VHS hifi represents a phenomenal increase In sound quality over stan dard audio- and vldeocassettes Ste reo sound has increased frequency re sponse and dynamic range Varying configurations of VCRs employing hi- fi andor stereo are available al though these VCRs record in stereo they must still be hooked up to a ste reo system or stereo TV in order to achieve full stereo sound