THE SWEETEST GIFT: “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and its golden ticket seem to be the trend of the season, judging by the number of retailers hiding or otherwise giving away gift cards to pump up shopper traffic. Diesel did it last week, and now Judith Ripka is linking with InStyle to do the same. The jewelry firm took out a four-page gatefold in the May issue that contains a “Shop for a Cause” gift card. The card is worth $1,000 toward any piece of gold Ripka jewelry or $100 toward a silver item, with 10 percent of each sale earned from the program benefiting Dress for Success Worldwide. Readers can redeem the cards either at a Ripka store or its Web site. “By incentivizing people to shop, we hope to not only raise significant funds for Dress for Success Worldwide, but also make people feel good about shopping and reentering the stream of commerce,” said Ronald Berk, chief executive officer at The Judith Ripka Companies Inc. “It’s a win-win for all.”

— Caroline Tell