Scots waste up to £253m on ‘unappreciated’ Christmas presents
People in Scotland waste up to £253 million on Christmas presents they suspect their loved ones won’t even like – with many worried they’ll look “stingy” if they don’t – according to a survey.
Research by Macmillan Cancer Support found people in Scotland spend an average of £57 on Christmas presents they doubt will be appreciated. Nearly a quarter of people spend more than £100 on gifts they don’t think the recipient will be enthusiastic about.
Nearly £25 million a year is wasted on such gifts in Edinburgh each year, and almost £30 million in Glasgow.
Over a fifth of people in Scotland admitted they always or often receive Christmas gifts that they will never use, and 59 per cent wish they could agree with their family and friends to spend less on presents.
Thepollfoundmanyworried they would appear “stingy” if they didn’t spend the cash, with 47 per cent of people in Scotland admitting they were concerned.
According to the survey, 27 per cent of people in Scotland agree they would prefer a donation made to their favourite charity than receive a gift at all.
Isla Dewar, Macmillan Cancer Support fundraising manager in Scotland, says: “We’ve all received Christmas gifts that left us scratching our heads, or panic bought gifts for someone we later wonder if they’ll ever use.
“People work very hard for their money, so no one wants to see it going to waste. It’s heart-warming the research shows many people would prefer to have a donation made to charity than receive a gift. Christmas can be a particularly difficult time of year for people living with cancer and their loved ones.
“As a charity that relies almost entirely on donations to fund our work, we’d be very grateful if people would consider buying a virtual gift for a loved one from Macmillan this Christmas or making a donation in their name.
“If just 10 people donated £45 – less than the amount every person on average reckons they spend on unappreciated Christmas presents – we could support our frontline staff to run our Macmillan Support Line phone service for an hour.
“A donation of around £30, could pay for one Macmillan nurse for an hour, helping people living with cancer and their families receive essential medical, practical and emotional support.“
The call comes after research published early this month revealed there are now 250,000 people living with cancer in Scotland, up 15 per cent in just five years.