‘It’s the thought that counts’ – how many times have you heard that? This in fact is far from the truth as studies from the Royal Mail have revealed that the total of retried gifts in Christmas 2018 came to a staggering £1 billion! The most commonly returned items do tend to be women’s clothing, but just why are we returning so many things after the seasonal period has ended? It can be an array of things such as preferred taste, duplicate items or the wrong size.
To see which items are the most returned after the Christmas period has ended, a holder of the Royal Warrant of Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen, high-end independent corporate gifting specialists, Veritas Gifts have done their research – you might end up rewriting your Christmas shopping list!
1) Shoes
Everyone loves shoes of course but when you are gifted along with a pair of socks with face this can be a tricky situation. Every brand and shoe style fits everyone differently so shoes do need to be tried on before they are purchased. Even if you think you know their size, it might not be a perfect fit which means they will get returned.
2) Kitchen appliances
Kitchen appliances are gifted a lot over the Christmas period. Chances are if you are buying someone a toaster, they already have one and they wouldn’t need another one – even if they have just moved into a new house. Unless someone goes out of their way to specifically ask you for a kettle, don’t buy one as chances are, they will end up back in the shop.
3) Video games
Buying a video game for an avid gamer seems like a win win – but the fact is if the game is worth buying then the recipient will already have one or many other people will share the same thoughts as you and buy the exact same. If you want to buy for a gamer, then there is a much better success rate in buying a gift card for the video game store so they can decide themselves.
4) Sweets
You might be fooled into thinking that sweets are a Christmas present that will make everyone happy but this is far from the truth. In previous years, people have tried to return chocolate, gum and sweets where they can. This is either because people are trying to be healthy in the name of new year or they have had too many sweets over the seasonal period.
5) Candles
Candles are a great gift to give at Christmas to loved ones but unless you know full well what scent they like, there is a chance they might not be a fan. Floral scents are popular amongst people, but some people do prefer a fresh cotton smell, plus gifting candles is not unique so you if you want a personal touch ensure you know what smell they prefer. A better option would be to go for a scent diffuser so your recipient can pick which scents they want inside.
6) Gym wear
Just because someone spends a lot of their time in the gym doesn’t mean they want to be gifted athletic clothes on Christmas day. If people do want it, they will ask as the clothes will need to suit their routine or style – same as shoes. If you do wish to buy something in the athletic sector than opt for hats or socks as this suits all workout routines.
7) DVDs
With the era of Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video people don’t watch or buy DVDs anymore – but try telling that to your nan. DVDs can be found for a very cheap price now, but people still don’t want them. If you do wish to buy for a movie fan, then an Amazon gift card is better to stream movies on then a DVD player.
8) Toddler clothing
Toddler clothing is among the most returned gift every year, this can be down to sizing issues as people either buy the wrong size or the baby outgrows it before they’ve even worn it. If you want to buy something for a baby opt for a fun angle like books, toys and placemats as opposed to clothes.
9) Glassware
When shopping for someone who loves a drink, 9/10 go for the alcohol and not the glass. Again, if specifically asked for that is the only exception. Chances are they already have 2 sets of large gin glasses and simply does not have any space left to store them. Alcohol everytime!
10) Makeup
Makeup is a great fit for someone you know really well but steer clear of items which require their opinion such as foundation and primers. Lipsticks and eyeshadows are great to buy as they normally come in an array of shades which suits most people but give them a choice of a few in case they like some more than others.
