This Day in History (2005): Gift outlet opens at Exhibit

From the April 20, 2005, edition of The Arabian Sun

If you want to cash in on the cache of the Saudi Aramco brand, there is now a shop where you can do just that, with the launch of a gift outlet at the Saudi Aramco Exhibit.

We now have a more convenient way for our employees and their families to purchase quality items that bear the company's signature at value prices.
—Mustafa A. Jalali, vice president of Saudi Aramco Affairs

How many times have you wished you could get your hands on a Saudi Aramco coffee mug, T-shirt, or cap? Until now, you had to buy in bulk or be an authorized buyer for your organization. And a website has made that easy.

But based on the success of the website and continuous requests for a gift shop from which dependents and friends can buy souvenirs, management decided to extend the availability of those products to everyone through a one-stop, walk-up outlet for shoppers.

"Ninety percent of the feedback that we received from our corporate gifts website mentioned the need for employees and their dependents to be able to purchase log souvenirs on a cash basis and not in bulk," said Mae S. Mozaini, head of the Corporate Identify and Design Unit. "As a result of that, the shop was opened. We plan to continue opening other shops around the Kingdom."

Caption from top: Mustafa A. Jalali, vice president of Saudi Aramco Affairs, left, examines some of the merchandise available at the new gift outlet of the Saudi Aramco Exhibit with vendor representative Ammar Kanoo as Luai I. Subaiey looks on.

Also on this date

2008 — Danica Patrick wins the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first woman to win an Indy car race

1972 — Apollo 16 lunar module commanded by John Young and piloted by Charles Duke lands on the moon

1946 — The League of Nations officially dissolves, giving most of its powers to the United Nations

1918 — Manfred von Richtofen, a.k.a. The Red Baron, shoots down his 79th and 80th victims, his final victories before his death the following day

1902 — Pierre and Marie Curie refine radium chloride

1861 — Thaddeus S.C. Lowe, attempting to display the value of balloons, makes a record journey, flying 900 miles from Cincinnati to South Carolina