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CNN Live At Daybreak

Last Minute Gifts

Aired December 24, 2003 - 05:57   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Still got a little shopping to do? Need a last minute gift for a person who already has everything? Then break out your checkbook.
CNN's Jen Rogers has some ideas on how to spend the money if you've got it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEN ROGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Already have a Hummer? Probably not one like this.

"Q," SALES MANAGER, WEST COAST CUSTOMS: There's a DVD player, navigation. There's monitors, 10 inch, in the dash. There's two seven inch in the headrests. There's the suede headliner with the suede inserts on the seats. We did all custom floor mats in here. On the outside, there's chrome everywhere.

ROGERS: Car customization, for the man who has everything, including the basic Hummer, you just add all the bells and whistles.

"Q": The grand total on this truck for the accessories, without the cost of the truck, that's about $60,000.

ROGERS: For $75,000,m you could have snagged a limited edition BMW 6 series from Neiman Marcus. That is, until they ran out.

BRENDAN HOFFMAN, PRESIDENT & CEO, NEIMAN MARCUS DIRECT: We sold all 50 cars in under seven minutes.

ROGERS: The company, whose catalog is synonymous with luxury, is offering a $13 million jet, which you could fly to your $27,000 ice fishing house carrying your limited edition Louis Vuitton luggage.

HOFFMAN: Fifty thousand dollars for a five piece set. We sold all four sets in a matter of minutes and could have sold dozens more.

ROGERS: Don't want Louis Vuitton's initials on your bags? Just substitute your own on just about anything.

HOFFMAN: One of the big hot themes this year was personalization, anything with a monogram on it, from monogrammed bags to monogrammed sweaters. We were even selling monogrammed toilet paper, if you can believe it.

ROGERS: If paper products aren't your style, more traditional fare can be found at David Orgell on Rodeo Drive, selling watches, jewelry and antiques to names like Arnold and Sly.

KOROSH SOLTANI, VICE PRESIDENT, DAVID ORGELL: The credit card machines do take up to, actually, up to, I think, $999,000 on our machine. But you just do it in separate transactions if you have to do over that. Hopefully we'll have to do a couple of those this year.

ROGERS: The chances are pretty good. So far they've already rung up a number of six figure purchases.

SOLTANI: I just sold a very high end watch last week for $180,000. I actually had to fly to Boston to deliver it.

ROGERS: By the way, delivery is included.

Jen Rogers, CNN Financial News, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired December 24, 2003 - 05:57   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Still got a little shopping to do? Need a last minute gift for a person who already has everything? Then break out your checkbook.
CNN's Jen Rogers has some ideas on how to spend the money if you've got it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEN ROGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Already have a Hummer? Probably not one like this.

"Q," SALES MANAGER, WEST COAST CUSTOMS: There's a DVD player, navigation. There's monitors, 10 inch, in the dash. There's two seven inch in the headrests. There's the suede headliner with the suede inserts on the seats. We did all custom floor mats in here. On the outside, there's chrome everywhere.

ROGERS: Car customization, for the man who has everything, including the basic Hummer, you just add all the bells and whistles.

"Q": The grand total on this truck for the accessories, without the cost of the truck, that's about $60,000.

ROGERS: For $75,000,m you could have snagged a limited edition BMW 6 series from Neiman Marcus. That is, until they ran out.

BRENDAN HOFFMAN, PRESIDENT & CEO, NEIMAN MARCUS DIRECT: We sold all 50 cars in under seven minutes.

ROGERS: The company, whose catalog is synonymous with luxury, is offering a $13 million jet, which you could fly to your $27,000 ice fishing house carrying your limited edition Louis Vuitton luggage.

HOFFMAN: Fifty thousand dollars for a five piece set. We sold all four sets in a matter of minutes and could have sold dozens more.

ROGERS: Don't want Louis Vuitton's initials on your bags? Just substitute your own on just about anything.

HOFFMAN: One of the big hot themes this year was personalization, anything with a monogram on it, from monogrammed bags to monogrammed sweaters. We were even selling monogrammed toilet paper, if you can believe it.

ROGERS: If paper products aren't your style, more traditional fare can be found at David Orgell on Rodeo Drive, selling watches, jewelry and antiques to names like Arnold and Sly.

KOROSH SOLTANI, VICE PRESIDENT, DAVID ORGELL: The credit card machines do take up to, actually, up to, I think, $999,000 on our machine. But you just do it in separate transactions if you have to do over that. Hopefully we'll have to do a couple of those this year.

ROGERS: The chances are pretty good. So far they've already rung up a number of six figure purchases.

SOLTANI: I just sold a very high end watch last week for $180,000. I actually had to fly to Boston to deliver it.

ROGERS: By the way, delivery is included.

Jen Rogers, CNN Financial News, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com