“$484,241 ‘Royal Wedding’ Jewelry Set: Japan’s Most Expensive New Year’s Deal? - Wall Street Journal” plus 1 more |
| $484,241 ‘Royal Wedding’ Jewelry Set: Japan’s Most Expensive New Year’s Deal? - Wall Street Journal Posted: 27 Dec 2010 05:50 AM PST By Yoree KohEven lavish buys can be purse-pinching steals. That is the motto being pushed by Japan's department stores as they roll out previews of luxurious New Year buys, known as "fukubukuro," enticing customers with discounted sports cars, jewels, weddings and getaway trips. Eager shoppers line up outside their favorite stores in the wee hours at the start of every year to buy a choice "fukubukuro," a goodie bag filled with a hodgepodge of heavily discounted items for a set price. Depending on which store you choose to place your "fukubukuro" bets, contents can range from a German ham to sports memorabilia and designer clothes. The excitement in the tradition used to lie in the mysterious nature of the contents, a lottery of items unknown until after you purchase the bag. But stores are increasingly luring customers with curtain raisers, revealing splashy packages that could make a grown man fighting a midlife crisis weep. So what are the most expensive "fukubukuro" steals? The upscale department store Matsuzakaya set the bar high, pricing a sundry of lavish items at 40 million yen, or about $484,241. The standout package is called the "royal wedding fukubukuro," in an ode to Price William and Kate Middleton's coming nuptials. The bag, comprising a four-piece set of sapphire jewels and limited to one customer, is the priciest fukubukuro that will be on sale at the Matsuzakaya branch in the tony Ginza district on Jan. 2. The department store is retaining some element of surprise, however. The store declined to provide a picture of the jewelry set and the original value. Other Matsuzakaya outlets are matching the price point with different items. A 2010 Porsche Boxster will be on sale at the Nagoya branch for 40 million yen as well, though the total price will exceed 45.5 million yen after taxes and maintenance fees are included. A five-night first-class trip to Paris is on the block, as is an 80-person wedding package at the Westin Nagoya Castle. In a tip to the rise of electric cars in 2010, Seven & I Holdings co. subsidiary units Sogo-Seibu and Robinsons are offering an 18.5 million yen ($223,000) bag called the "the ultimate super eco-car fukubukuro." It includes a Tesla Roadster signature sports car and a five-night stay at a luxury resort in vacation town Yokosuka City in Kanagawa Prefecture that runs about 422,400 yen for one week during peak season. "'Eco' was a very big trend in Japan this year but it was associated with being economical or tolerance," said Junko Komura, a Seven & I representative. "We wanted to make it more department store friendly and focus on the cool lifestyle aspect of eco-cars." Ms. Komura said this is the most expensive fukubukuro available this year, but isn't the highest to date. She said that, including all the extra amenities such as a nature tour in Kanagawa, the actual value of the package equals about 19 million yen, saving a customer roughly 500,000 yen. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Cop, suspect die as gunbattle ends jewelry heist - msnbc.com Posted: 27 Dec 2010 02:29 AM PST WOBURN, Mass. — Two men pleaded not guilty Monday to charges they were involved in the shooting death of a veteran police officer who responded to an armed robbery at a department store jewelry counter. One suspect was also killed. Officer John Maguire was one of several officers who responded to 911 calls about a robbery at Kohl's just before 9 p.m. Sunday in the midst of a snowstorm. Maguire was chasing two suspects on foot when the gunfire began. Maguire and 57-year-old Dominic Cinelli, whom police identified as the man who fired the fatal shot, were both struck.
Maguire was taken to Lahey Clinic in Burlington, where he was pronounced dead. Cinelli of Woburn was pronounced dead at the scene. A visibly shaken Woburn police Chief Philip Mahoney told reporters that Maguire was planning to work one more year before retiring and was moving from the night shift to the day shift in anticipation. "We do not have shootings in Woburn. It's not that type of community, and last night Officer Maguire lost his life defending it right in the middle of Washington Street," he said. "It was almost like the Wild West between the two of them." Investigators said the 60-year-old Maguire was shot four times. He is survived by his wife and two children, ages 21 and 22. Heavily armed police officers and state troopers used dogs to search nearby stores and retail complexes for other suspects, eventually arresting 19-year-old Scott Hanwright and 51-year-old Kevin Dingwell, both of nearby Wakefield. Hanwright was charged Monday with first-degree murder and ordered held without bail. Dingwell, who police say was the getaway driver, was charged with being an accessory after the fact and ordered held on $1,000 bail. Both pleaded not guilty during their arraignment. The Middlesex district attorney's office didn't have information on their lawyers. Mahoney, who has been on the force for 41 years, said it's the first time he can recall that that an officer has died in the line of duty in the city.
Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin remembered Maguire as a hardworking police officer who was proud to be carrying on a family tradition. His father once served as police chief. Woburn, a city of about 40,000 residents, is about 10 miles north of Boston. Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based Kohl's is offering counseling to employees who were working at the time of the robbery. "This was a tragedy for all involved and our deepest sympathy goes out to the officer's family," Kohl's spokeswoman Vicki Shamion said in a statement, deferring further questions to Massachusetts authorities. The Associated Press and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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