While Canadians will make an average of five trips to the mall for holiday shopping this year, they won't enjoy it, according to a survey of Canadian shoppers.
Of 1,036 adults polled by Ipsos Reid, the average consumer will spend 11 hours in pursuit of the perfect presents for their loved ones. One hundred per cent of those asked said they would rather be doing something else.
Instead of shopping till they dropped, 34-per-cent of respondents said they'd rather spend time with friends and family. Another 29-per-cent would rather relax and the remaining 26-per-cent said they'd use the time to bake or decorate their home for the holidays.
When asked their biggest vexes about holiday shopping, respondents were quick to blame the crowds:
- Crowds and lines (49-per-cent)
- Not being able to find a unique gift (14-per-cent)
- Finding out the item you want is not carried or is sold out (10-per-cent)
- Getting carried away and exceeding budget (10-per-cent)
- Looking for parking (seven-per-cent)
Not surprisingly, more than half of people (54-per-cent) said they'd try to avoid the squeeze at the malls by doing at least some of their shopping online.
That number jumped to 74-per-cent for those aged 18 to 34.
According to Statistics Canada, about 39 per cent of Canadians aged 16 and over used the internet to place more than 95 million orders last year – up from 70 million in 2007.
The most likely purchases for holiday shopping this year include travel and entertainment tickets, books and magazines, clothing, jewelry and accessories.
