Wise spenders shop way ahead of festivities

Dubai: Does the mere mention of holiday shopping turn you into a dithering fool? Or is your planning so precise, the military borrows it ever so often as a teaching tool?

Gulf News surveyed its readers in three spot online polls and through one-on-one interviews.

More than half of the respondents declared themselves to be last-minute crazy-eyed shoppers. In one of the polls on gulfnews.com, 79 per cent of readers said that they had not yet begun shopping for the holiday season.

But, this was in stark contrast with the direct interviews, wherein most of those who spoke to the newspaper would most probably have finished wrapping the presents by now.

Irshad Hussain, a 45-year-old Emirati, always shops long before the occasion to avoid the crowd.

She said: "One needs to choose the right items while shopping, instead of rushing things. I do not like last-minute shopping, where you end up buying anything for the sake of it."

She has already purchased new clothes as well as important grocery items for Eid, trying to get a good deal before prices shoot up.

Cheap prices

Another reader who prefers shopping ahead of time is 49-year-old Sri Lankan expatriate, Mohammad Halim Al Deen.

Halim Al Deen shops for items through the year and has picked up items for Eid on his trips to Thailand, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

"You get the same items for the price of peanuts! I normally shop in advance, whenever I see an item that is cheap and best for my family," the Abu Dhabi-based assistant manager said. He has already shopped for clothes and ornaments for his wife and daughters for Eid.

But as residents are gearing up for an eventful holiday season, the cost of living appears to be acting as a bit of a dampener on the planned festivities.

A staggering 93 per cent of readers polled online said that the cost of living had impacted their holiday shopping.

Nnamdi Madichie, a Sharjah-based educator, has tried to work around this road block by focusing on necessities, rather than wants.

He said: "I tend to spend more on necessities such as food. I care very little about much else. So, the cost of living hasn't actually affected me as much."

Another reader, Anne Elizabeth Angeles, agreed.

"Cost of living is seemingly on a constant increase," the 32-year-old marketing executive said.

"Most of us are looking at ways of lowering our spending as much as we can. That includes reducing shopping and travelling and just concentrating on basic commodities."

Ana Leah, a 33-year-old Filipina, had to delay her shopping plans as she is still budgeting for important purchases.

She said: "I usually shop in advance, especially gifts, to avoid the peak shopping time. Also, many department stores are already having sales."

Talking about how the cost of living had hit her shopping style, Leah said: "Instead of buying a new pair of shoes and dress, I prefer buying gifts and a few items that I really need."

As holiday shopping and its timing go, Gulf News readers exhibit the usual range of habits, as seen worldwide. A recent poll by the US-based Philadelphia Inquirer showed that about two in 10 people shop well in advance, while the rest of the population starts in November and takes it right through to Christmas eve.

So, the next time you break into cold sweat at the mention of holiday shopping, be rest assured there are many more like you — out there, giving rise to the "holiday rush".

Polls

How they answered:

Have you started shopping for the coming holidays?

Yes 21% No 79%

Do you always do your holiday shopping well in advance?

Yes, I like to do it right 44% No, I'm a last-minute shopper 56%

Has the cost of living impacted your holiday shopping?

Yes 93% No 7%