‘Tis Nearly the Season for Selfish Shopping

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By the end of next week, it should be safe to head out to the stores again because the holiday shopping frenzy will be over.

Well, not so fast.

A recent survey by RetailMeNot indicates that 79 percent of consumers plan to head to the stores to take advantage of end-of-year sales.

And after spending so much money on others, many of those shoppers — 64 percent — plan to buy something for themselves.

The survey produced a few other interesting statistics:

  • 35 percent of consumers said they are more likely to return an unwanted holiday gift rather than keeping it (27 percent), re-gifting it (21 percent) or donating it (13 percent).
  • 35 percent of consumers said they’ve purchased an item they wanted for themselves because no one gave it to them during the holidays.
  • Women (54 percent) are more likely than men (47 percent) to plan to shop for themselves at year-end sales.
  • 30 percent of consumers have purchased gifts after Christmas for those they knew they wouldn’t see until after the fact.
  • 34 percent have used a gift card they were given to buy a present for someone else, and 24 percent have re-gifted a gift card.

Apparently, once all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season comes to an end, shoppers place the desires of others on the back burner. And for you stragglers who plan a post-holiday visit, your gift may very well be purchased at a discounted rate.

I should also mention that you may want to consider buying your loved ones what they request or the gifts may end up back at the store. Worst of all, your precious time spent selecting their presents will be in vain. To appease those on your list who are picky, gift cards are the best way to go.

Are you a selfish shopper? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page.

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