Christmas shopping stressing you out?
SHOPPING for Christmas presents has proven to be as stressful as planning a wedding or moving house for some Ipswich shoppers.
A study conducted by Personalised Plates Queensland found one in seven Ipswich shoppers left their gift buying to the last minute.
It found close to three quarters of Ipswich residents found Christmas gift shopping stressful.
Personalised Plates Queensland general manager Ian Andrew said the study categorised shoppers by their traits.
A Savvy Sally is a shopper on a budget, while Generous George shoppers are big spenders to show how they care.
But not everyone finds Christmas shopping to be a hair-tearing experience.
Flinders View resident and mother-of-three Christine Berry said battling busy malls could be a burden, but there were ways of getting around it.
She said planning helped, but she still had a lot of presents to buy two weeks out from Christmas Day.
"Over the years I've found a few shortcuts," she said.
"I'm a list maker and I've found if I have made a list before I go to the shops it makes it helpful."
Ms Berry shops earlier in the morning to avoid the crowds seeking solace from the summer heat in the afternoons.
"When it comes to presents I don't tend to buy things early," she said.
"Some times people change their minds so I tend to buy closer to Christmas rather than further away."
Ms Berry said if spending time at shopping centres proved to be too much to bear, take a minute to think of the reason we have Christmas.
"People should take time to think about why we are having Christmas in the first place," she said.
SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP
- Two thirds of residents will spend up to $500 on gifts this Christmas.
- One in five Ipswich people find shopping for Christmas gifts to be as stressful as planning a wedding.
- A third of Ipswich residents wished Santa was real.
