When it comes to Christmas shopping, who would have thought teachers are the biggest penny-pinchers, that teenagers hate the whole experience, and that men are bigger planners than women. But predictably, people who work in the charity and volunteer sector are the most generous Christmas shoppers and pensioners are the greatest planners with lots of time on their hands!
Viking Direct gathered the views of people in Ireland and the UK to find out what type of shopper we all are – we are either dodgers (who dodge buying presents and go for vouchers ), pinchers (penny-pinchers ), planners (never go shopping without a list ), or surprise shoppers who go that extra mile with gifts.
In Mayo the survey discovered that the majority of people plan before they shop (77 per cent ) and 33 per cent are surprise shoppers, going that extra mile for the perfect gift. There are no dodgers or pinchers in the county according to the survey.
The online shopping website www.viking-direct.co.uk developed a shopper personality test – with the help of its celebrity shopping psychologist, Emma Kenny. Emma’s top tips on how to be a more thoughtful shopper:
Match your mood. If you feel stressed and/or unhappy, don’t go shopping for gifts, you will end up feeling worse and will most likely have wasted a day. Make sure you feel positive and optimistic and these will reflect in the excellent choices you make.
Remember, a gift should feel like a gift, don’t impulse buy something simply because it appears to be a bargain, your present reflects the worth you put on the relationship
Less can be more. It’s not how much you spend, it’s the thought you spend on the present you are providing that really counts.
If you don’t want to buy, then don’t. If you have a limited budget, why not buy presents for those who truly matter to you, instead of stretching yourself.
Keep a sense of humour. Buying and giving presents should make you feel great.
