Researchers find a quarter of Brits find Christmas more stressful than DIVORCE
A quarter of Brits find Christmas more stressful than DIVORCE, new figures released today show.
With just 40 days until the big day Brits are already feeling the pressure, with 15 per cent saying it is worse than moving house and one in ten saying it’s more stressful than a child’s first day of school.
The shocking stats also reveal more than half of cash-strapped shoppers are dreading black Friday too, with the average cost of the next two month’s festivities coming to a massive £700.
Over a third of Brits admit they will borrow more than £200 to cover the rising costs, taking over three months on average to pay the debt back.
And one in six won’t have paid back the cost of Christmas until after Easter.
Daniel Zelkind, co-Founder of Zeek, who commissioned the survey of 2,000 Brits comments: “We know how easy it is for the costs to stack up at this time of year.
“Black Friday and Christmas can play havoc with our bank accounts and leave many people feeling stressed and anxious.
“We’ve really enjoyed bringing a bit of light entertainment to shoppers and using the medium of magic to show how easy it is to get free money using Zeek.”
One in ten of those surveyed said the pressure to buy products during Black Friday sales sends their blood pressuring soaring.
In fact, Black Friday is the most stressful shopping occasion of the year for 20 per cent of us.
Half revealed they couldn’t stand battling through crowds – yet 32 per cent said despite this they would brave the manic shopping sprees for fear of missing out on a deal.
Some 84 per cent admitted to giving presents they had bought at a reduced price, with an average spend of £194 expected during Black Friday alone.
Zeek teamed up with ITV2 magician Ben Hanlin – famous for tricking former WBA Heavyweight Champion David Haye, Kim Kardashian and singer Ella Eyre – to perform street stunts that filled unsuspecting punters’ pockets with cash.
He also turned unused gift cards into fifty pound notes in front of shocked crowds to demonstrate how easy it is to get free money from unwanted gift cards with Zeek.
Ben said: “I’ve played tricks on Kim Kardashian and the mighty David Haye, but these tricks were designed to show Brits there are easier ways to get free money, and show how much they could save by being savvier with their shopping.
“Using Zeek is a no brainer as we embark on the most expensive time of the year.”
In a further twist, punters were asked what they would be prepared to do for £50.
A quarter would readily have their partner check their mobile phone, 31 per cent would go make up free and ten per cent would give up alcohol for a year.
Four per cent were even prepared to give up sex.
The findings come alongside new data released by Zeek, Europe’s biggest gift card marketplace, which shows Brits could save a massive £100 this Black Friday and Christmas period by gaining double discounts on items through buying discounted gift cards.
Zeek lets you turn unwanted gift cards into cash and also sells gift cards from most high street retailers at a less than their face value.
This allows consumers to save up to £637 each year and £100 during Black Friday and Christmas.