Â
Sponsored by
NATIONAL NEWS
Social media among threats to greeting card makers
Posted: Oct 7, 2012 12:12 PM by ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Fewer people are sending paper greeting cards, a worrisome challenge for the nation's top card company.
Kansas City, Mo.-based Hallmark Cards Inc. announced last week it's closing a Kansas plant that produced a third of its signature product. Hallmark is shedding about 300 jobs as it shifts work to two other plants.
Hallmark and companies like it are dealing with a cultural shift in which consumers are increasingly choosing cheaper and quicker ways to communicate.
Hallmark says that over the past decade, the number of greeting cards sold in the U.S. has dropped from 6 billion to 5 billion. An industry trade group puts the figure at 7 billion.
Hallmark executive Pete Burney says competition in the industry is "formidable" and that consumers have more ways to connect digitally.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
PLEASE HELP US MODERATE COMMENTS
Offensive or inappropriate comments are subject to removal. To report a comment, please e-mail us at feedback@ksby.com, and include the name of the story and information on the comment.
Thank you! KSBY.com
KSBY.COM VIDEOS
-
Moore, Oklahoma residents continue to sift through rubble left by deadly tornado
Views: 10 May 24, 2013 -
Hasay finishes 18th at regionals, fails to advance to NCAA Championships in 10K
Views: 52 May 24, 2013
Comments