With the media full of bad news and dour forecasts for this holiday season (store closings, layoffs and cutbacks – oh my!) I went in search of some happier, or at least less-depressing, holiday-related news. A quick Web search netted several interesting nuggets.
While we all know there is often a disconnect between what consumers say they are going to do and what they actually do, PayPal’s 2008 Holiday Survey, conducted by Ipsos, found that nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of online shoppers intend to give to charity this season, compared to 60 percent in 2007. The survey was conducted in October, when our economy was in full-scale meltdown, so it’s admirable that so many people plan to give to the less-fortunate, even as they themselves teeter on the brink of that status.
While 71 percent plan to give the same amount to charity again this year, 10 percent actually plan to increase their giving. Charitable giving is strongest among older online holiday shoppers (those 45 and above, at 83 percent) and among the most affluent (with salaries of $100,000 or more per year, at 85 percent).
Planning on giving a loved one a new tie? You may want to reconsider. According to a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation on behalf of eBay Inc., neckties are the gift people most dread this holiday season, with 24 percent of respondents ranking them as their least-wanted holiday gift.
And save the flowers and candles for Valentine’s Day: after neckties, these gifts ended up on the least-wanted list for both sexes, at 12 percent and 8 percent, respectively.
Who is usually the bearer of these unwanted gifts? It’s not a friend or co-worker. Thirty-two percent of all respondents reported that an immediate family member (spouse/significant other, sibling, parent or child) is most likely to give them the gift they least want this year.
The most-desired gift this holiday season is the one peopl...