London - Almost five million people return unwanted Christmas gifts worth £207m after the big day, as shoppers struggle in vain to find the perfect present.
Around 10 percent of the UK's recipients will try to return or exchange an item - but only a quarter will own up to it, according to a survey from Gocompare.com. Around 15 percent avoid or change the subject, and nine percent lie about it. Of those who didn't return gifts, almost 40 percent said they were kept to avoid upsetting the giver.
Such tact might not be worth it, though ,as separate data shows more than one in ten people will hand over a gift this season “fully expecting it to end up in the bin within hours.”
The average family will spend more than £800 (about R18 000) on festive celebrating this year, but the Money Advice Trust has warned that 17 million people will borrow money to buy Christmas gifts. Almost a quarter of Britons feel pushed to spend more than they had planned, the free debt-advice service has found, with pressure being felt from children, Black Friday and similar promotions.
We will even spend huge chunks of cash on people we don't really like, Quidco.com has found. Its research calculated that Britons will splash out £3.7bn on presents for colleagues, bosses or relatives we aren't fond of - at a cost of £63 per buyer.
Chocolates top this list, followed by a bottle of wine, bubble bath and a book, with 15 percent of people keeping a stash of goods for people they don't like after taking advantage of “two for one” deals and end-of-line or sales stock.
The Independent on Sunday