With the car parks gridlocked and tales of endless queues
and fisticuffs, you wouldn’t think that people would risk venturing out. You
thought wrong! Total Christmas sales this year are expected to reach a
staggering £72.2bn, an increase of more than 2% on last year, according to the
Centre of Retail Research, with two thirds of that being spent in stores.
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| Shoppers clock up a whopping sum as they shop for loved ones this Festive Season |
With people using their last pay cheque before the big day
the shopping centres are crammed to the rafters with all sorts of shoppers, wanting
to get that special something.
Even with consumers anxious about inflation prices, the
average price households pay out on gifts is still estimated to be 60% of their
total spending, the largest majority of their Christmas budget.
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| Chaotic scenes of Christmas Shoppers |
With American traditions
coming across the pond, Britons are increasingly seeing Thanksgiving's ‘BlackFriday’ and ‘Cyber Monday’ events as the start of the Christmas shopping season. Frenzied bargain hunters battled to try and
get the best bargains in a bid to save more money this Christmas.
However, the images were far
from the idyllic Christmas scenes of spreading joy and happiness.
Black Friday bargain-hunters
caused chaos across Britain as stores led by American company Asda slashed
prices on Christmas electronics and gifts.
It was reported that a woman
was taken to hospital with a suspected broken arm after a shopping centre
stampede in Northern Ireland. Also, in Liverpool, a woman was hospitalised after reportedly being punched in
the face during the shopping frenzy. Amongst other reports spread on Twitter
and Facebook, it begins to beg the question, Is Christmas really worth it?
Forbes reported that a record 226 million shoppers visited
shopping websites over the Black Friday weekend, spending an estimated 52.4
billion.
Internet giants Amazon UK reported that on Cyber Monday the
company had their busiest shopping day in its history as they made 4.1m sales on 2 December, beating the
previous record of 4million set 76 hours earlier on Black Friday. Orders came in at a whopping 47 items a second, peaking at 9.22pm says the online retailer.
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| Black Friday's chaotic scenes were shared over social media |
According to a recent survey, 75% of people asked, said that
they found the Christmas Period to be the most stressful time of the year.
Which is easy to imagine with some of the UK’s top retailers setting record sales day on day.
With an additional 44% of people adding that the single thing they find most stressful during the festive period is battling through the busy crowds. Followed in second place with 36% of people, who deem that finding the perfect gift for their loved ones is the most challenging thing to do. Leaving cooking the Christmas dinner, entertaining the children and visiting family at the bottom of the pile.
Now a psychologist and
founder of the independent research consultancy Mindlab International, claims
that the experience of Christmas shopping is so painful that it sparks the
primal ‘fight or flight’ mechanism.
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, psychologist Dr David Lewis says that “Festive cheer
all too easily gives way to seasonal shopping stress”. Suggesting that people
become aggressive while they are doing their shopping because the swarming
crowds activate basic survival mechanisms.
Crowds, excessive queues at checkouts and parking difficulties
can quickly lead to frustration, irritation, exhaustion and anxiety. Producing
more of the stress hormone cortisol. With
concerns over choosing the correct gift bringing on the feeling on inadequacy
and guilt, especially in this unstable economic environment.
Sarah Souden, a busy mum of 3, finds Christmas really
stressful. “With my husband being away a lot, it is left to me to do all the
shopping. Juggling work, looking after the kids and then trying to find time to
shop and wrap presents is a nightmare”.
“Half of the children’s presents are also in hiding at a
neighbour’s house, just so they can’t be found by prying eyes,” continued
Sarah.
To try and avoid some of the stress, an increasing number of
Britons are choosing to shop online rather than in store. This week Ofcom
announced on its twitter page that internet
shopping was more popular in the UK than in the other 17 countries it surveyed,
including the USA, Australia and Germany. The average Briton has increased their online annual outlay from £1,017 to
£1,175 in 2012. Internet buying can often be seen to reduce the stress of
shopping without having to battle the high-street.
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| Is online shopping easier than the highstreet? Image courtesy of Ofcom |
Birstall Retail Park in Leeds is chaos in the festive
season, with some of the UK’s top retailers seeing their average daily takings
doubling when compared to the rest of the year. Police and security are often
needed to direct the traffic to try and avoid holdups getting in and out of the
car park.
Sally Wortley, Senior Sales advisor at Evans clothing chain
at Birstall said: “Over the festive period we really do see customer footfall
increase, from October to the end of January when the Christmas sales are
starting to filter out”. Sales increase by 50% on site over Christmas, with
customers wanting the perfect presents and treating themselves to outfits for
the big day.
With high-street chains having continuous promotions throughout the season, these stores are seeing their profit margins increase, as people are
wanting to save money wherever possible.
Birstall Retail Park isn’t the only place that struggles
with the crowds of Christmas shoppers, as many of Yorkshire’s top shopping destinations are becoming busier and busier in the build-up to the big day.
Details of some of the Counties best shopping locations to bag a bargain can be
found in the map.
Working in the beauty industry, Jessica Naylor, Boots No7
Manager in Huddersfield, can clearly see where the majority of people’s money
is being spent. “Christmas is most definitely our busiest time of the year. The
store is mobbed and there are always customers wanting advice on presents and
also something to treat themselves to”.
Customers become more demanding, which isn’t necessarily
their fault, as they are so stressed and anxious about what to buy says Jessica. Many
store workers are noting an influx of shoppers needing assistance, amidst the
chaotic scenes.
Friday 13th December is predicted to be the
busiest shopping day of the year, nick naming it ‘Meltdown Friday’. Shoppers
are expected to spend £1.3 billion in order to get those final presents for
under the tree. So high streets and shopping malls will be crammed with manic
shoppers trying to buy the perfect gifts for their loved ones.
To help beat the stressful battle to find the perfect gift
or fighting through the crowds, we’ve created some simple Christmas gift ideas with the help of Jessica Naylor, for all those last minute present purchases that everyone will love!
1.
Bathing products. Whether it be bubble bath,
body butters or relaxation oils, these are perfect to help someone de-stress after
the festivities are over. Even perfect to treat yourself to in the run up to
Christmas, as everyone needs a little break! But bath and relaxation products are
nearly always a failsafe, from aunties to colleagues, they make a great gift.
2.
Buying something for the man in your life is
always difficult. Skincare is something they are nearly always interested in but never want to admit to. Instead of noticing your moisturiser diminishing rapidly,
a male skincare gift set will work wonders. I know my partner loves the novelty
of the eye roll-on.
3.
Nail varnishes, eye palettes and lipsticks are
great for the women in your life. From teenagers to great grandmas, there is always
something to suit. It could be a tinted lip balm to keep their lips hydrated in
the cold winter period or a dramatic eye palette for those Christmas and New
Year parties.
4.
Anti-aging skincare. A difficult issue to buy
for if it’s your works secret Santa, but can be perfect for your mum or close
family member to help them maintain and perfect their youthful look. I know my
mum really appreciates gift sets like these.
5.
Skincare for teenagers is often a great buy.
They can try something new, find out what they like, or aren't keep on. It's also
something that they don’t normally like to buy for themselves, as they see it as
more of a chore.
Hopefully these little hints and tips will help to make those last few presents less of a mindboggling task, allowing you to de-stress during this festive season!
