Christmas is here, and a new survey finds too many people wait until the last possible moment to buy gifts.
According to a survey of 2,000 Americans by the online-invitations site Punchbowl, half said they have bought a gift on Christmas Eve, while 39% said they have bought one on Christmas Day.
Retailers that prove popular with last-minute shoppers are grocery stores, drug stores, liquor stores, “deli/convenience” stores and gas stations.
Among the top reasons given for procrastinating: never knowing what to give, losing track of time and feeling like they never give the right gifts.
Six in 10 respondents said they easily get overwhelmed by the volume of gifts they have to purchase. And 62% said the pandemic has only made things harder for them.
The survey also asked about the worst gifts they ever received. Responses included …
- A jar of peanuts.
- An oven mitt.
- Windshield wipers.
- A bottle of shampoo.
- A voodoo doll.
- A broken watch.
- Mouthwash (but it was needed, they say).
- Toilet paper (pre-pandemic, one assumes).
- Multivitamins.
- An autographed picture of Vanna White.
- Hydraulic fluid.
- Plastic silverware.
- An ashtray.
- Some matches.
