Get ready to spend almost a whole day shopping this year

WASHINGTON — How would you like to spend the better part of a whole day at the mall? By the end of this holiday season, most consumers will have.

Shoppers will spend 19 hours looking for gifts this holiday season, four hours more than last year, according to Consumer Reports, which surveyed 1,013 people between Nov. 4 and Nov. 7. Only 15 percent will spend more than they did last year, with a third spending less.

This is a part of 48 total hours spent on holiday-related activities. The rest of the time is wrapped up in 13.7 hours partying, and 8.5 hours traveling.

A quarter of Americans are planning to descend upon participating stores on Black Friday, the report states, which this year falls on Nov. 25. Procrastinators: You aren’t alone. More than half of shoppers have not yet started their shopping.

The way shoppers buy their presents is shifting.

“Fifty-six percent of shoppers expect in-store deals to be as good as those offered online this year, though this year 21 percent are learning about those deals via Facebook,” according to the report.

“Eighteen percent say they’ll rely on smart phone or tablet computer apps to get the inside scoop on deals, while the lion’s share of shoppers still find out about holiday bargains the old-fashioned way: through newspaper ads, by television or radio commercials, and reading through promotional flyers.”

However, only 5 percent plan to do all of their shopping online, while 44 percent say they’ll go brick-and-mortar stores for all their gifts. Nineteen percent will do online shopping via smartphone, with 13 percent using a tablet computer.

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(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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