Brits would rather have the money

Ungrateful Brits have admitted to dumping unwanted Christmas presents on charity shops, hiding them away in lofts and cupboards and even giving them to other people as Christmas presents, in a poll commissioned by Barclays Gift Card.

Research reveals that more than 450 million Christmas presents are likely to be bought this year, however almost nine out of ten people (87 per cent) say they have received Christmas gifts that they didn’t want or like.

Space in Britain’s lofts and charity shops looks set to be hard to come by in January with 46 per cent of people admitting to having unwanted gifts hidden away in a loft or cupboard and a similar number (43 per cent) donating their unwanted presents to a charity shop. Almost a third (29 per cent) try to take presents back to the shop to get a refund and 17 per cent will sell them on eBay but a worrying 38 per cent shamefully confess to giving their unwanted gifts as presents to other people!

Friends, grandparents and aunties are blamed for giving the worst gifts whilst women are the champion Christmas shoppers with wives and girlfriends (26 per cent), mums (15 per cent) and daughters (10 per cent) rated as the best gift givers. Just two per cent of people thought that Dads give the best presents.

Husbands struggling to buy the perfect Christmas gift for their wife should also take note: only a third of women praised their husband or boyfriend’s gift buying skills as the best and nine per cent said they gave the worst presents. Conversely over a half (53 per cent) of males said that their wife or girlfriend gave the best presents and just four per cent said they gave the worst presents.

The traditional Christmas gifts of ornaments and jumpers top the list of the worst presents ever received along with ‘smellies’, novelty gifts and kitchen and household appliances (particularly loathed by women). Some of the other ‘worst ever gifts received’ include silk-covered coat hangers, a crocheted tissue box cover, a dustpan and brush, a musical cake slice and an indoor water fountain.

Andrew Jones, Product Director for Barclays Current Account and Savings, said: “If we gave people the opportunity to choose what they want, we could all save some Christmas stress and help to declutter our houses! Almost a third of the people we surveyed said they would rather receive tokens or money than an unwanted gift and 13 per cent even said they would rather not have anything. The Barclays Gift Card can be loaded with a sum of money and spent as a VISA Electron card in thousands of places on whatever the recipient chooses.”

According to the research more than £13 billion is likely to be spent this Christmas, with Brits spending an average of £28.32 each on approximately ten people. Women buy for the most people (twelve) and spend an average of £27.73 per person whilst men only buy for eight people but spend more on each – an average of £34.37.

Customers can purchase Barclays Gift Card online at barclaysgiftcard.co.uk.