Bluelight Special: Calling All Windsor Shoppers

It is going to be very ugly for retailers in Windsor this Christmas season. With the highest unemployment rate in Canada and others concerned about layoffs, one wonders how much money there will be available to spend on Christmas presents this year.

Naturally with a high dollar and the perception of border tieups thanks to certain politicians it will be unlikely that we will see lots of Americans coming here to spend money as well.

To top it off, the Detroit Convention & Visitors Bureau with its brand-new logo (no it is not Detroit Mosaic) will be targeting Canadians to come over and spend their money in the US. Here's an example of a recent press release.

I wonder if they were targetting any specific Divas in Windsor.

According to the Star, the Mayor had not heard about the Tunnel promotion. Darn and I thought he was a reader of my BLOG too. After all, I wrote about it on Monday. Well here is more he does not know about. Perhaps someone could let him know.

• Calling All Shopping 'D'-vas: Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau Targets Shopping Campaign to Canadians From London to Windsor
  
  DETROIT, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Whether it's through the Windsor-Detroit tunnel or over the Ambassador Bridge this holiday season, Canadians will find some of the best shopping in Detroit.
  
  The exchange rate is better than ever, so over the border visitors can shop large at Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills, Somerset Collection in Troy, the new Mall at Partridge Creek in Clinton Township or the newly-renovated Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi, to name just a few.
  
  Shoppers may also opt for Detroit's distinctive hip boutique neighborhoods that dot "The D," from Fashionable Ferndale to Royal Oak, Birmingham and Rochester. Downtown and Midtown Detroit shops include the expanded Detroit Institute of Arts Museum Shop and historic Pewabic
  Pottery.
  
  "The exchange rate is at an all time high for Canadians shopping in Detroit," says Christopher Baum, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau (DMCVB). "There's no better time to shop in The D, and we invite our Canadian neighbors to indulge in Detroit's best high-end and outlet shopping for distinctive merchandise and great values close to home."
  
  To kick off the holiday shopping season, the DMCVB launched a creative newspaper and radio advertising campaign that began Thanksgiving week and runs through mid December in the Windsor and London, Ontario markets. Other holiday shopping highlights include:
  
  -- The DMCVB has partnered with Macy's to offer an international savings card for 11 percent off merchandise for Canadian visitors to Detroit.
  
  -- Taubman Centers, Inc.'s four Detroit-area malls are giving away $20 (U.S. dollar) gift card vouchers to the first 2,007 vehicles that enter the United States from Canada through the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel on Friday, Nov. 23, from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. or while supplies last.
  
  -- The brand new Mall at Partridge Creek and the Best Western Sterling Inn Hotel in Sterling Heights are offering Thanksgiving weekend hotel and shopping packages, including a $50 gift card and a hotel stay on Nov. 22 or Nov. 23.
  
  -- DMCVB member Allstar Transportation is promoting special transportation packages Thanksgiving weekend to make the drive to the mall easier.
  
  Discover more deals and details about shopping in Detroit this holiday season at http://www.visitdetroit.com, or call 1-800-DETROIT.