Obama in New York shopping spree to push wage plan

NEW YORK: US President Barack Obama Tuesday launched a New York shopping spree -- to treat his wife and daughters -- and to praise top clothing retailor Gap Inc.

for raising its minimum wage. Obama halted his motorcade at the store at East 42nd and Third Avenue as he hit the Big Apple on a fundraising swing.

The president selected sweaters for his daughters Malia and Sasha and a blue workout jacket for his wife Michelle, before delivering a glowing assessment of Gap bosses, who recently decided to hike the store´s minimum wage to $10 dollars.

The president, who is calling on Congress to lift the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10, said the move would help thousands of Gap employees.

"It´s not only good for them and their families, it´s also good for the entire economy," Obama said.

"I want to congratulate the Gap for doing the right thing."Before leaving, Obama couldn´t resist teasing the pool of reporters traveling with him.

When he got out his credit card to pay, he was told to sign his name on a screen. "Oh wow. So, you can sign the machine?" he said, before telling journalists he was joking.

"They had these around the last time I shopped," he said, according to a pool reporter recording his remarks.

The quip recalled an incident when then president George H.W. Bush was reported to have expressed amazement at a supermarket scanner machine during his campaign for reelection against then Arkansas governor Bill Clinton in 1992.

The incident, which was disputed by Bush´s campaign, was used by his opponents to portray him as out of touch with the economic woes of everyday Americans.