The Busiest Shopping Day of the Year:
The Husbands Hit the Stores
by Randall L. Whipkey
Every year, the five brave husbands of Gulliver Garth plan an all-day shopping trip to buy Christmas presents for their wives. The five don't just pick a Tuesday midway through December, however; they make their expedition on the busiest shopping day of the year—the Friday after Thanksgiving. Each of the five picks a different store for the group to visit, and the husbands usually fulfill 90% of their gift ideas on the tour. The clues that follow describe the plans for this coming Friday's event; can you deduce each man's full name, the store he has chosen for the five to visit (one has picked Dionne), and what kind of merchandise that store sells?
- Benny, Mr. Karan, and the man who had chosen the casual wear store have all picked places that the five haven't visited on an earlier Friday–after–Thanksgiving outing.
- Neither the store Wilson has chosen nor Fine's is the shop that carries suits & dresses.
- Mr. Clarke isn't the husband who decided on a jewelry store nor the man who opted for a lingerie shop.
- Mr. Jones isn't the husband who has picked The Road for the annual excursion.
- Although he is familiar with and likes both stores, Charlie's choice isn't Fine's or Joseph & Co.
- Herb and Mr. Wilson discussed various stores before making their choices for the tour.
- One husband has picked Oh So Soft!, which doesn't specialize in suits & dresses.
- Walt isn't the husband who has chosen the casual wear shop nor the man who has a store selling suits & dresses on the schedule.
- Neither Benny nor Herb is the one who has selected Fine's as a shopping stop.
- Charlie has chosen a store specializing in leather goods as his place for the group to shop.
- Mr. Jones, who isn't Russ, isn't the husband who has opted for the casual wear outlet.
- Mr. Zale isn't the one who has added a lingerie store to the list.
- The husband who has chosen Oh So Soft! isn't Mr. Clarke.
- Russ and the shopper who has selected Joseph & Co. as a place to stop have both gone for stores that the group has visited and liked during previous busiest–shopping–day–of–the–year trips.
