If you’ve left your Christmas shopping to the last minute don’t worry – you’re not alone.
A Sainsbury’s study has found that nearly 18 million people will be doing their Christmas shopping today, spending around a £1 billion – or £42 million an hour.
While total sales revenue this Christmas isn’t as high as last year, the Christmas Eve rush is expected to be bigger because it falls on a Saturday and because of an increase in pre-Christmas sales this year.
“As ever, millions of people are on a mad dash to the shops on Christmas Eve but this year people are leaving it even later than usual,” said Stuart McKeggie, Head of Sainsbury’s Credit Cards.
“This is perhaps due to financial uncertainty, the anticipation of last minute sales and the fact that Christmas Eve is on a Saturday.”
The findings showed a number of the different measures people are going to to keep prices down this Christmas. 38% of people are using vouchers or coupons to buy food and gifts and 24% are collecting reward scheme points on all of their Christmas shopping. 23% of us will purchase gifts using points collected from a loyalty or reward scheme, and the same number will buy Christmas food or drink using points they have amassed.
One in 10 people are getting creative and making personalised or hand-made gifts, and 12% intend to buy Christmas gifts in the post-Christmas sales to save money. Interestingly, 14% of men don’t plan to budget their Christmas shopping, compared to just 6% of women.
