What are the best banks and stores for credit virgins?

[pdxuser]

I'm looking at a few major banks' secured cards and it looks like none of them offer instant approvals. Any idea why not? Do they do something extra with people who have no credit histories, like background checks or something?

[Anonymous]

I agree with Macy's. I have had their card for 3 months now. Started off with $100 and now I doubled that to $200. Its a start....

[pdxuser]

If I get a Macys card, how often will I have to use it to keep it from becoming dormant? (And who decides if it's dormant? The card or the CRA? What happens then?) Also, would buying and returning an item count just as well for card activity?