65 Per Cent Of Australians Finish Their Christmas Shopping This Week

Last minute rush as 65 per cent of Australians do their Christmas shopping this week

* 35 per cent spend more on Christmas gifts than they thought they would
* Consumer electronics and toys the big ticket items

The next four days will be extremely busy for retailers, as 65 per cent of Australians admit they either haven't started or are yet to finish their Christmas shopping, the Australian National Retailers Association said today.

A survey of 1000 people conducted late last week found that only 35 per cent had fully completed their shopping, 29 per cent hadn't started, and 36 per cent had only partly completed their shopping.

"With 64 per cent of people still yet to get their shopping done, retailers can expect a rush over the next three or four days," ANRA CEO Margy Osmond said.

Margy Osmond said it the number of pre Christmas sales going on made it attractive for people to shop a little later this year.

It is easy to see why people are leaving their shopping until the last minute, there is a large amount of pre Christmas discounting going on.

Despite the discounting, many of those who have finished their shopping said they had spent more than they intended to.

"Australians have been caught up in the spirit of giving, with 35 per cent of respondents saying they had spent more on Christmas presents this year then they had planned to."

Respondents said they spent more than they had expected to on consumer electronics like ipods, Nintendo Wiis, Xboxes and digital cameras (44 per cent), toys (40 per cent) and clothing and shoes (32 per cent).

"As we enter the final stages, we expect to see a run on books, CDs, DVDs and boxed perfumes and cosmetics as they are easy to wrap," Margy Osmond said.

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SOURCE: Australian National Retailers Association