The last minute gift dash: unwrapping the reasons behind holiday shopping procrastination

TABOR CITY, NC (WWAY) — Many folks spent the weekend wrapping up their holiday gift shopping at the very last minute.

Susan Cartret was hitting the racks on Saturday, looking to check off the last few items on her list.

“Well, I guess our lives are so busy, we live busy lives now and we kind of just wait til the last minute because there is so much, so much that we’re doing,” Cartret said.

And Cartret was not alone.

According to a report from U.S. News and World, 16% of shoppers always wait until the last minute to get their shopping done.

Miranda Thompkins is the owner of Oh La La Boutique in Tabor City.

She said sometimes the holidays just sneak up on people.

“It just slips up on you, like you’re thinking you have plenty of time and then you look and oh my gosh, it’s tomorrow, and you got to get finished,” Thompkins said.

But the main reason people wait, according to the survey, is because they’re still looking for the perfect gift.

Experts said one way to avoid procrastinating next holiday season is to have a set budget for your list.