Troubled Borders still pitches gift cards

Bill Oemichen heard the speculation, reported Saturday by the Wall Street Journal, that troubled Borders Books would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week. So he was surprised to get an e-mail from Borders last weekend urging him to buy a $50 gift card for a loved one. Oemichen used to run the state of Wisconsin's consumer protection agency and recalls from those days that gift card holders become unsecured creditors in a bankruptcy. "I would sure appreciate some notice to consumers about the dangers of purchasing a gift card from a company that may be filing for protection from creditors within hours of the consumer's purchase," Oemichen said. Borders did not respond Tuesday to a call from Whistleblower, probably because it was getting ready for its bankruptcy filing this morning.