Hallmark Offering Line of Job-Loss Greeting Cards

In a sign of these tough economic times, Hallmark is adding a new type of card to its arsenal, for people who have just been laid off.

The company said is responding to requests from regular customers to offer cards that will encourage friends who just joined the unemployment line.

“They sent us letters. They phoned it in. They asked their retailers, you know, in their neighborhood, where do I find a card that says this? And again, loss of a job, like any loss, is a grieving process,” said Derek McCracken, creative director with the Hallmark Greeting Card Company, told NPR. “So that’s where we kind of offer more cards on the, you’ll get through this, versus dwelling on the loss of the job itself.”

Many of the cards, featured on the Hallmark web site, offer words of support, and are often funny.

“When things are looking kinda gloomy, do what I do,” one card reads. “Stare into the heavens, breathe deeply, and say…Give Me a %#!@$!! Break!!!”

Others are touching and offer a bit of sympathy.

“Thinking of you at this difficult time,” one reads.

The cards are $3.49 and are available in stores and on Hallmark’s website.