How much are Christmas shoppers really spending this year?

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Transcript

00:00Christmas shopping is well underway across London but with prices rising

00:05over time ideas about how much is acceptable to spend on presents has

00:09shifted too. I'm here on Oxford Street asking shoppers how much is acceptable

00:14to spend at Christmas and how that differs to past years. It depends on who it is

00:19between like 20 to 100 like generally depending on who it is. We spend a lot

00:24really if I'm being honest I think the past couple of years we've probably spent

00:27sort of around £100 per person. I spend about like nearly £100 which is

00:35really bad when you think about it. I mean if you used to spend £50 on someone you

00:39don't get the same as what you did well you've got more obviously ten years ago

00:43than you do now because everything has gone up in price. What I find is if you

00:47do stockings you end up spending so much on stockings that you've got

00:53very little for a main price because you can't find anything. In my day I had a

00:57pencil and a rubber. I think it's a lot easier to spend money now like it feels

01:01that you don't get as much like for what you've got like with stuff that's

01:04trending on like social media Tik Tok etc. I think you don't really think about

01:08what you're buying now you're a bit like oh everyone's buying that we'll buy that

01:10for them because that's what everyone's getting at the minute. I think it's

01:13definitely as social media has progressed it's definitely more of a

01:16desire you see more things as well now and if other people have got things that

01:20you want I think there's a desire there isn't this yeah. According to Money

01:24Supermarket gifting is a major part of Christmas spending with Brits set to

01:29spend an average of £181.07 on presents for family and friends this year. Many

01:37are also planning to treat themselves too putting aside roughly £62.76 on

01:42self-gifting and according to YouGov's 2025 poll for parents buying presents for

01:48their children 45% are spending up to a hundred pounds per child and 49% are

01:55spending more. Despite the figures UK households have cut back on Christmas

01:59spending at the fastest rate in nearly five years. Data from Barclays shows that

02:05card spending fell 1.1% in November compared to the same time last year as

02:10people dealt with financial uncertainty over what was to come in the budget.

02:15In addition while falling inflation remains high and household bills have

02:19been putting cost pressures on families all year. The combination of those

02:24concerns and economic unknowns has driven British people to rein in their

02:28spending in the run-up to Christmas.