Survey: Consumers hate holiday crowds
Yonkers, N.Y. – Unsurprisingly, crowds and long lines are the single biggest consumer dread for the holiday season. According to a new Consumer Reports poll, 61% of consumers dread crowds and long lines, followed by bad traffic (54%).
Other popular holiday dreads include:
• Aggressive or thoughtless driving in store parking lots (48%)
• Gaining weight (34%)
• Getting into debt (31%)
• Fake holiday cheer (30%)
• Gift Shopping (18%)
• Seasonal movies playing repeatedly on TV (15%)
• Receiving gifts from people you didn't anticipate (13%)
• Seasonal music (13%)
• Disappointing gifts (12%)
In addition, when asked what their go-to gift was for someone they didn't know particularly well or someone that they hadn't planned to give a gift originally, 29% said gift cards. Other popular unplanned go-to gifts include: wine/other alcohol (16%), chocolates/dessert/candy (15%), and home accessories (11%).