Russians’ New Year’s gifts turned out to be expensive and unwanted

People spent from 5 to 25 thousand on things that did not bring joy to others

The holidays are over, but an unpleasant aftertaste remains – in a survey conducted by one of the financial companies, Russians told what they gave and received for the New Year, and admitted that most gifts do not meet their expectations and desires. But they had to spend a lot on them. The economy of impressions turned out to be more reliable – people consider expenses on going to theaters, concerts and even studying during the New Year holidays to be justified.

In 2024, we can say that the tradition of New Year’s gifts is becoming a thing of the past: the majority of Russians (41%) were not given anything for this holiday. As for everyone else, the desires seriously diverged from the results. For example, at least 18% of Russians asked for a smartphone “from Grandfather Frost,” but only 11% received it. But only 3% of women dreamed of new perfumes – just like the heroine of “The Irony of Fate”, but as many as 15% received them. Nobody wanted jewelry, but 13% of respondents received it. Also among the popular gifts were a hairdryer, candles, indoor flowers, a robot vacuum cleaner, slippers and sweets, as well as phone accessories, board games, clothes, bags, sneakers, certificates, dinnerware sets, and lamps.

The majority of respondents (41%) were unable to save money on buying gifts. No wonder: about a quarter of those surveyed spent from 5 to 10 thousand rubles on New Year’s gifts, and another 15% of Russians spent from 15 to 25 thousand. Among the respondents, there were those whose New Year’s shopping cost 80-100 thousand rubles.

According to Russians, approximately 30% of respondents were not particularly delighted with the gifts they received, and 18% were frankly dissatisfied – and 5% of Russians said that they would re-gift everything.

“Before the New Year holidays, sales of clothing, electronics and household appliances always increase. This year we are also seeing an increase in sales of jewelry and watches. In the second half of December, jewelry store turnover more than doubled compared to the first half of the month. There were twice as many purchases, and 64% more buyers. The average bill increased by 7% and amounted to 6,878 rubles,” notes Dmitry Karmishin, an economist at a large financial company that conducted the survey.

At the same time, experts report that during the New Year holidays, Russians increased spending on spa services, entertainment events, restaurants and education, and also more often booked hotels in Russian cities. From January 1 to January 8, the turnover of payments on online platforms that sell tickets to entertainment events and theaters tripled compared to the same period in 2023, as did the number of purchases. The number of buyers has doubled. The average bill increased by 2% and amounted to 2,214 rubles. Online turnover of cafes and restaurants also doubled in the first eight days of 2024. Payments in catering establishments increased by 93%, and visitors increased by 48% year on year. The average bill also increased – by 14%, to 2,803 rubles.

At the same time, due to severe frosts during the New Year holidays, Russians preferred to spend time with their families and children indoors. In particular, they attended catering, relaxed in spas, and dealt with beauty and health issues. The number of purchases at children’s entertainment centers increased by 31% year-on-year. Payment turnover increased by 40%, and the average bill increased by 9% and amounted to 11,602 rubles. The number of purchases of cinema tickets in the first days of 2024 increased by 11%, turnover increased by 16%, and the average bill increased by 5%, to 753 rubles.

The turnover of online payments for spa services increased by 43% during the January holidays compared to last year. Purchases of such services increased by 10%, and buyers increased by 27%. The average bill increased by 29% and amounted to 4,707 rubles.