New Survey Reveals Blokes Shop til They Drop on Holidays

A new survey on Australians holiday shopping habits has revealed that men are bigger spenders than women and much more likely to buy something nice for their spouse while travelling.

Of the 1000 people surveyed for the inaugural Princess Cruises Holiday Shopping Study, men were far more generous than women, with 27 per cent saying they bought for their partner on holidays compared to only 7 per cent of women. The majority of women (54 per cent) said they mainly shopped for themselves.

Every respondent said they shopped while on holiday but more than 60 per cent admitted they needed retail therapy at least three times a trip, while a further 15 per cent said they couldn’t go a day without shopping during their time away.

The survey also revealed an interesting trend among couples with more than half (54 per cent) of respondents saying they would prefer to shop with their partner than anyone else. Once again men were more enamoured with their partners, with 67 per cent preferring to shop with their significant other, compared to only 44 per cent of women. The least favoured holiday shopping companions were children (2.5 per cent) and parents (2.3 per cent).

Asked how much they spent on shopping each holiday, 40 per cent of men said they spent more than $500, compared to 35 per cent of women. 

The survey found that the biggest holiday splurge was on clothing and shoes with 77 per cent of respondents buying up big on these items during a trip. 

But there was a big difference when it came to certain goods, with more than a third of men (36 per cent) shopping for electronics compared to only 14 per cent of women. 

Princess Cruises’ spokesperson Meg Koffel said the cruise line had conducted the survey to get a better insight into the habits of Australian travellers as it expanded its onboard shopping and looked to offer more shopping themed cruises.

“We knew Australians loved to shop but we had no idea they dedicated so much of their precious holiday time to shopping,” Ms Koffel said.  

“It’s fascinating to see how “holiday mode” can alter the way Aussies behave, with men spoiling their partners and something like shopping together as a couple - often a no-go zone back home - becoming much more appealing in the relaxed confines of a holiday.”

Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess has returned to Australia for a summer of cruising following a multi-million dollar dry dock which saw the addition of new luxury boutiques offering designer brands such as Burberry, Coach and Salvatore Ferragamo as well as OMEGA watches and Swarovski crystals.

The 116,000-tonne ship is half way through a Christmas shopping cruise, which departed Sydney on Sunday, with its 2670-guests expected to spend close to $400,000 during today’s call to Melbourne. 

“Thankfully there is no baggage limit on cruise ships as we expect our passengers will be filling more than a few Christmas stockings with their Melbourne shopping haul,” Ms Koffel said.

For more information on Princess Cruises visit www.princess.com

Information supplied by: Princess Cruises.

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