More Than Half Of Americans Are Receiving Disappointing Gifts
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In a new survey from StudyFinds, researchers discovered that over half of Americans (53%) are likely to receive a gift they don’t desire.
Maybe it’s the thought that counts, but it has also been found that Americans are spending an absurd amount of money on these gifts that are likely to disappoint. According to the new forecast from Finder, unwanted presents will reach an all-time high in both volume and cost this year, with an estimated $10.1 billion being spent on unwanted gifts.
Overall, the annual holiday spending forecast finds that roughly 140 million Americans will receive at least one unwanted present in 2024. Shockingly, one in 20 people expect to receive at least five gifts they won’t want to keep. The average cost of these unwanted items is expected to rise to $72 this holiday season, up from $66 last year. That represents a billion-dollar surge in wasteful holiday spending.
At the top of 2024’s list of the most unwanted gifts people receive, clothing and accessories secured the number one spot. Specifically, 43% hope to avoid these personal items. However, that number is actually down from the 49% who didn’t want clothes for Christmas in 2022.
Household items follow clothing as the least popular holiday gifts (33%), while cosmetics and fragrances round out the top three at 26%. Interestingly, technology gifts are skyrocketing in unpopularity. Since 2022, the dislike for tech gifts has risen by a whopping 10%, going from 15% in 2022 to 25% this holiday season.
