So with a week to go to Christmas are you sitting pretty having completed all your shopping or have you left it to the last minute and are now panicking about the Christmas shop?
Well if you find yourself in the latter group you can take comfort in the fact you’re not alone. New research from Barclaycard Freedom Rewards has revealed 55% of us - that’s a whopping 26 million people - still have gift shopping left to do.
For many of us the decision to leave our shop until the last minute is fuelled by pre-Christmas sales, which can start as early as December 20th. So a quarter of us delay, knowing we’ll get more for our money, even if it does mean long queues and the occasional panic purchase.
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Stores such as Debenhams, John Lewis and Topshop all begin their ‘January’ sales in late December – and many including Gap, Laura Ashley, Habitat and House of Fraser have already started heavily discounting their goods.
Another commonly cited reason for putting off the Christmas shop is to wait until the Xmas cheer has really come alive; the Barclaycard survey revealed 25% of people hold out until the last minute to really get into the festive spirit and make it a more enjoyable experience. What a sentimental bunch we are!
Ruth Langsford, who is an ambassador for Barclaycard’s Freedom Rewards credit card, understands that when it comes to Christmas shopping, we all have our own way of doing it.
“Some people buy everything in a single day, and others string it out over a number of months,” she says, “but the majority of us do manage to get gifts under the tree for Christmas morning”.
“I personally like to plan and I bought all of my Christmas gifts over a month ago. I’d be too nervous to leave everything to the last minute, although I’m sure I could be missing out on some pre-Christmas deals. I will definitely be one of the third of people (32%) buying Christmas decorations and gifts for next year in the January sales!”
Craig Evans, Director of Partnerships at Barclaycard, appreciates that Christmas is a wonderful time of year but it can be costly.
“We know the importance of making your money stretch as far as possible. That’s why we designed our Freedom Rewards credit card – to reward you wherever and however you shop,” he says. “Indeed our research shows that nearly two-thirds of adults (61%) will be using the points collected on various loyalty cards throughout the year to help buy Christmas gifts. Rather than carry lots of reward cards though, Barclaycard’s Freedom Rewards credit card rewards you for all your spending, wherever you choose to shop.”