Wednesday, 18 December 2013 08:35

Holiday Shopping Made Easier

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When it comes to holiday shopping, a lot of us are making things way harder than they have to be.

The Journal for Consumer Research, Inc. found that we tend to avoid getting people on our Christmas list the same gift, even if we think that person will really like the gift.

Apparently we look at buying the same gift for multiple people as taking the “easy way out.

MORE: The Hardest Person to Shop For This Holiday Season

For the study, researchers conducted a series of six experiments to see how participants selected gifts for others. Turns out, when picking a gift for one person, the participants were more likely to choose something they thought the recipient would genuinely like. But when shopping for multiple people, participants were hesitant to get more than one person the same type of present (even if they thought both recipients would like it).

MORE: Holiday Etiquette: When to Give Gifts, Rather Than Tips

"People will avoid getting the same gift for more than one person because it feels like the easy way out," says co-study author Mary Steffel, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the department of marketing at the University of Cincinnati. What's more, they'll do this even when they know the recipient might prefer something else.

The solution? Just focus on what you think each person on your list would like—and don't worry if that sometimes is the same thing for multiple people.

Source: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/ideas-for-christmas-gifts