DALE MCFEATTERS Shopping for cave men

Given the running start retailers get on the holiday season anymore, it's not too early to start thinking about gifts, specifically for men.
Male shoppers are a neglected species. Says Kara Swisher, a sniper-eyed trend watcher for The Wall Street Journal: "Men are usually considered the bottom of the retail food chain when it comes to products for the home. Except for outdoor grills and tools, most sellers target women (and even children) first and tend to ignore males almost entirely."
Well, sort of. Some merchandisers are taking a second look at males.
Maytag offers a $500 home vending machine that holds 64 12-ounce cans. The beverages are free -- you just press a button -- and there are child locks so you can stock it with beer.
More ideas
George Foreman, whose grills are a staple in male college housing, is out with a new, easier to clean -- not that anybody does -- grill for $99. And Waring has a half-gallon blender for $560 so you can make several rounds of margaritas at once and not have to be running back and forth.
Ex-Broncos quarterback John Elway has gotten into the furniture business and will soon offer a large sofa that is essentially three recliners separated by padded arms.
And there is more in a similar vein, but these gift ideas reinforce that unflattering stereotype that what men mainly do is sit around, drink, eat and watch sports on television. Speaking for males generally, we are offended.
You say it holds 64 cans of beer and all you do is press a button?
Distributed by Scripps Howard News