Holiday Dirty Little Secrets

When thinking about the winter holiday season, thoughts of beautifully packaged gifts, glittering holiday decorations, and lively family gatherings may come to mind, but the annual Coinstar Holiday Survey among 2,000 adults exposes some surprising secrets surrounding the holidays. Top Holiday Survey Findings

• One in four (26%) treat gift giving as a sport, admitting to being competitive when it comes to giving presents to family and friends
• 19% say they feel guilty about regifting, but the majority (65%) do it anyway
• Nearly half (45%) buy back-up gifts to have on hand to offer unexpected gift givers
• One in five (21%) value time alone or with friends instead of the family during the holidays
• Over one-third (36%) say they find it irritating that retailers put up holiday decorations and merchandise as early as September or October
• Employing Strategies to Reduce Holiday Shopping Stress
• One in five (19%) of survey respondents say they get stressed out just thinking about holiday shopping; many report spending and gifting strategies that may help reduce the stress. Nearly one-quarter (24%) say they will spend less this year than last, and a majority (65%) plan to regift to help stretch holiday budgets. More than half (53%) are planning on cashing in spare change, equaling about $78, to help pay for holiday gifts, decorations or other holiday expenses.
• 35% of adults surveyed have a negative view toward Secret Santa office gift exchanges. Reasons cited include don’t like spending the money, feelings of obligation and co-workers not following the rules.

– The survey shows that consumers are maintaining their holiday budgeting and spending patterns. About two-thirds (68%) of the respondents say they have a holiday gift-buying budget, compared to 65% responding this way in 2017.

– Spending remains consistent as well with about half of respondents saying they plan to spend between $100 and $400 on holiday gifts; 46% in 2018 versus 45% in 2017. The most popular gifts cited to give this year include gift cards (58%) and personal items (56%) such as clothing or jewelry.