6.7 million will leave Christmas shopping to December 24th

Nov. 21, 2012 - PRLog -- The Christmas lights may be switched on and shopping underway for most people, but new research from VoucherCodes.co.uk (http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/) reveals 6.7 million consumers will leave buying Christmas presents until Christmas Eve*.  But it appears last minute present shopping won’t be the only festive faux pas made this year with the study of 2,000 Brits lifting the lid on our other most common Christmas shopping blunders.

Misplaced presents

Nearly a quarter of Brits (24 per cent) claim to have bought Christmas presents and later forgotten where they hid them, with women nearly twice as likely to misplace festive gifts around the house – 33 per cent versus 14 per cent, respectively.

Selfish shoppers

It seems we’re a bunch selfish shoppers with one in five (21 per cent) of us claiming to have kept a present for ourselves, despite it being  intended for someone else. Similarly one in seven (16 per cent) have gone Christmas shopping and only bought gifts for themselves.

Last minute-Larry’s

One in eight (15 per cent) people leave all of their Christmas shopping until the very last minute. Men are the worst offenders, with one in five (18 per cent) claiming not to buy presents until Christmas Eve, compared to just one in ten 10 women (11 per cent). In addition, one in ten (9 per cent) have bought last-minute gifts from petrol stations on their way to see loved ones, while, shockingly, one in ten (10 per cent) have wrapped up something used, that they already own, and given it as a present.

Top 5 gift gaffes

1.       Forgetting where you’ve hidden the presents (24%)

2.       Buying a present for someone else and keeping it for yourself (22%)

3.       Going Christmas shopping and only buying for yourself (16%)

4.       Leaving all of your shopping until Christmas Eve (15%)

5.       Wrapping up something used from home to give as a present (10%)

Duncan Jennings, co-founder of VoucherCodes.co.uk says: “There’s a lot to organise at Christmas but there’s no excuse for buying presents at a petrol station. With most retailers offering multiple ways to shop, online, in-store or even through a smartphone, picking up a gift has never been easier.

“Shoppers should consider writing a list of gifts they need to buy before they get started to keep them on track and help them avoid hefty last-minute delivery costs. We also tend to see huge discounts appearing in the lead up to Christmas, so getting organised and buying presents early will not only help consumers reduce seasonal stress, but can also save them a heap of cash. “

-ENDS-

Duncan Skehens

PR Manager

VoucherCodes.co.uk

Tel: 020 3597 7495

Email: duncan.s@VoucherCodes.co.u (mailto:duncan.s@VoucherCodes.co.uk)k

Notes to editors:

*15% of 44.9m (ONS adult population) = 6.7m

Research was carried out by One Poll with 2000 people between 23rd – 24th October 2012

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