In 1969 customers could buy a $10,600 kitchen computer to help with recipes
Since 1939, Neiman Marcus has issued an annual Christmas catalog, which gets much free publicity from the national media for a tradition of unusual and extravagant gifts not sold in its stores. Some have included the 'his and hers' themed item, trips and cars (see below).
In 1952, Stanley Marcus introduced a new tradition of having extravagant and unusual gifts in each year's Christmas catalog, The Christmas Book; the idea was sparked when journalist Edward R. Murrow contacted Marcus to ask if the store would be offering anything unusual that might interest his radio listeners; Marcus invented on the spot an offering of a live Black Angus bull accompanied by a sterling silver barbecue cart, subsequently altering the catalog to include his new idea, priced at $1,925.[17][18][19] At one point, the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog carried the distinction of being the item most stolen from recipients' mailboxes, prompting a Chicago postmaster to suggest the company switch to enclosing the catalogs in plain brown wrappers.[20]
Other Fantasy Gifts:
pre-1965[19]
Toy tiger draped and decorated with diamonds and other precious stones — $1 million
Ermine bathrobe, $6,975
His and Her airplanes, matched pair — $176,000
Chinese junk (advertised as "Junk for Christmas") — $11,700 shipped to the Port of Houston
1964
His and hers hot air balloons — $6,850
1965[19]
A gold toilet seat advertised as "a 24 kt. Gold plated throne"— $250
Handspun lace handkerchief -- $300
Empress Chinchilla coat — $8,975
His and Her para-sails — $361 each
"The Pets' Cookbook" and chocolate scented rubber bone — $10.
Man's western style hat — $250
Pine wood play wagon for children — $145
Video tape recorder and camera — $1,345
One 14-ounce tin of fresh caviar — $130 (flown fresh to customer on request)
1970[21]
Pleasure cruise along the Florida coast — $35,000 (sold to a Miami charitable organization that then offered tickets for $200–$1,000 donations)
Lucite bathtub with aquarium — $5,000
His and Her Thunderbird autos
"For optimists": $10 live oak trees
"For pessimists": a Noah's ark with all endangered species aboard — $588,247
(No arks were sold, but over 1,000 trees were purchased.)
pre-1972[22]
a truckload of pink air
His and her mummy cases, $16,000 and guaranteed to be about 2,000 years old
a "Freeway Fortress" combination car and tank, $845,300 (or 10% down and 36 installments of $24,192.49 per month)
1972[22]
$5 of candy pebbles in a jar
an $8 set of worry beads
a $250,000 bag of uncut diamonds
a "privacy egg," 12' x 15', built by N-M in the area of the buyer's choice and stocked as the buyer prefers, $80,000
1974[18]
the "N-Bar-M Christmas Book Mouse Ranch," 12 square feet (1.1 m2), "for anyone who ever dreamed of being a cattle baron in miniature": acrylic corrals and fences, silverplated "roundup tweezers," mesa, cacti, pastures, feed barn, watering tanks, feed bins, and a windmill (but no mice) — $3,500
106 carats (21 g) polished black boulder opal — $150,000, not eligible for charge purchases
Russian natural sable jacket, $12,000
Nickel-plated penguin ice bucket handmade in Italy, $450 (UPI noted: "To make the bird feel at home, Neiman-Marcus will fill it with custom-chipped Antarctic ice, hand carried from the South Pole. Travel arrangements for the courier, including row boat and ice pick only $3,450.")
A pair of 18th century wooden horse heads from India — $7,500
An imperial sacrificial robe worn by a Chinese emperor, circa 1770 — $6,000
A sterling silver thermometer case for doctors — $28 plus 4 weeks for monogramming
Bronze spearheads from the Persian Wars (1500 to 700 B.C.E.) — $35
1975[23]
In honor of the United States Bicentennial, autographed letters from George and Martha Washington, $8,500 for the set
1978
Solid milk chocolate Monopoly set, $600[24]
1979[25]
Dirigible — $50,000
1986
California Spangled Cat - Cover item - price included personal delivery of your new cat with a week of training provided by breed originator, Paul A. Casey, Jr. — $2,500
1998
Aston Martin DB7 — 10 special black cars for the 1998 Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog
1999[25]
Preserve a section of endangered land, including naming rights — $200,000
2002
Collection of paintings by Andy Warhol, "The Athlete's Series," $3,000,000
Neiman Marcus Limited Edition 2004 Cadillac XLR, $85,000
NM Limited Edition Burberry Taxi, $58,900
"His and Her" Personalized Action Figures, $7,500
2003
His and Hers Robots, $400,000
NM Limited-Edition BMW 645Ci Coupe, $75,170
Luxury Ice Fishing House, starts at $27,000
Mermaid suit, comes with a mermaid tail, faux pearl top, and swimming lessons, $10,000
44 carats (8.8 g) diamond ring, yellow diamond, can be inscribed with up to 2,000 characters, $800,000
Bombardier Learjets, $7,737,000 to $12,743-000
2004
Limited-Edition Maserati Quattroporte, $125,000
Custom suit of armor, $20,000
Modern Zeppelin NT, $10,000,000
Grand Ole Opry Experience, $25,000
NM "Las Vegas" Trike, $65,000
Underwater Aviator, $1,700,000
Haute Couture Valentino Gown, $325,000
2005
Private concert with Elton John, $1.5 million
IndyCar Series Simulator, $65,000 to $75,000
Collection of Jewels with eight significant pieces of jewelry spanning the last three centuries, $1.2 million
Dreamboat Limited-Edition Levitating Sculpture, $18,000 to $90,000
NM Limited-Edition 2007 Lexus GS 450h, $65,000
His & Hers Custom Photobooth, $20,000
Grand Empire Railroad, $200,000
Skycar Prototype, $3.5 million
Tree Sculpture (an adult treehouse), $50,000
2006
Virgin Galactic Charter to Space, $1.7 million
Pencil Skyscraper by The Art Guys, $6,000 or $40,000
His and Hers Twike Communicator Vehicle (Zero emission electric car system), $40,000
GC Quad, $56,465
Membership at The Club at Castiglion del Bosco, $3.8 million
Jacques Fath Archives, $3.5 million
Limited edition pet homes, $5,000 and $7,000
Backyard Water Park, starts at $100,000
All-Star Sports Celebrity Dream Package: Charity Auction, starts at $250,000
Limited-Edition 2007 BMW M6 Convertible, $139,000
2008
A backyard golf course custom-designed by Jack Nicklaus.
$10 million Kentucky horse farm, complete with a stable of up to 15 thoroughbreds.
Life-size Lego replicas of you and your beloved for $60,000
$250,000 authentic Guinness pub
$110,000 for a chance to shoot some hoops with the Harlem Globetrotters.
$110,000 fighter motorcycle
35-year collection of every 45 rpm record listed on the Billboard Top 100 Rock and Pop charts through the end of 1990
A Dallas Cowboys end zone in your backyard for $500,000.
Limited-Edition 2009 BMW Individual 7 Series Sedan, $160,000
"Lions Rouge" Precious Rebel art guitar by Amanda Dunbar for $22,500
2009
A customizable cupcake car for $25,000
The Christmas Book is available at stores for $15. However, the $15 will be credited back to customers with their first purchase from the catalog.
Other Christmas gifts
In 1961 Neiman-Marcus in Dallas was one of two stores in the nation — the other being Wanamaker's in Philadelphia — to offer computer-based assistance in selecting Christmas gifts. The process worked by comparing information on the recipient to a computerized list of the 2,200 items available at Neiman-Marcus, then providing a printout of the 10 best suggestions. One person testing the computer filled out the questionnaire as if he were President John F. Kennedy shopping for gifts in excess of $1,000 for his wife, ; the computer suggested a yacht.[26]
During the Apollo 8 mission in December 1968, Marilyn Lovell, wife of astronaut Jim Lovell, who was the Command Module Pilot, received, as a Christmas present, a mink coat that was delivered to her by a Neiman Marcus driver in a Rolls-Royce car. The coat was wrapped in royal blue wrapping paper with two Styrofoam balls — one for the Earth and the other for the Moon — and had a card that read, "To Marilyn, from the Man in the Moon."[27]
Vehicles
Neiman Marcus has often offered automobiles in its holiday catalogs. These are usually coordinated with manufacturers as a publicity tool, though the cars themselves are normally special versions unavailable from other sources and produced in limited numbers.[citation needed]
1970 "His and Hers" Ford Thunderbird
1995 BMW Z3 James Bond edition (at $35,000)
1996 GMC Suburban Sony edition
1997 Audi TT
1997 Ducati 748L
1998 BMW X5
1998 Aston Martin DB7
2000 Lexus SC 430
2001 Ford Thunderbird (200)
2002 Cadillac XLR (101)Exclusive color was Ultra-Violet with Sand leather.
2003 BMW 645Ci
2004 Maserati Quattroporte (at $125,000)
2005 Lexus GS 450h (75 at $65,000)Crystalline Ice Exclusive Exterior color.
2006 BMW M6 Convertible only, Exclusive color was Ruby Black Exterior with Piano Black accents.
2007 Lexus LS600hL (100 to commemorate the Centennial of Neiman Marcus. Exclusive exterior color is Truffle Mica.)
2008 BMW 7-Series (new 2009 completely redesigned 7 series, Exclusive Color was Diopside Black with Champagne Merino leather.)
2009 Jaguar XJL
2010 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible (Exclusive color is Deep Bordeaux.)
