44 percent of Black Friday shoppers shop for themselves
Black Friday doesn't exactly scream charitable giving, but turns out the holiday spirit applies to Black Friday even less than you'd think. 44 percent of Black Friday shoppers purchase primarily for themselves, a recent DealNews survey shows.
Shoppers walk through the International Mall on Black Friday last year. Many Black Friday shoppers shop primarily for themselves, according to a dealnews.com survey
Chris O'Meara/AP Photo/File
While Black Friday shopping doesn't exactly scream charitable giving, tradition suggests that Black Friday dollars are spent on a pretty good cause — buying holiday gifts for our loved ones. So we were somewhat surprised to discover that a whole bunch of you guys are turning the convention on its head and snatching up the greater portion of Black Friday loot for yourselves! In fact, in a recent DealNews survey, 44% of respondents said they'd mostly be purchasing goods for themselves on Black Friday.
Men Lead the Black Friday Self-Purchasing Pack
There's a serious gender gap when it comes to buying presents for yourself on Black Friday. While it's true that 44% of our poll respondents said they'd mostly be shopping for themselves on Black Friday, the number swelled to 51% — more than half! — when we just looked at answers from guys.
The ladies, on the other hand, were more likely to say they'd be shopping for others; 59% said they were shopping for children or relatives, as opposed to just 25% who will be buying mainly for themselves. That said, the men were also more likely to be shopping for a spouse: 15% of males said they were shopping for a significant other, as opposed to just 7% of females who said the same.
Age & Black Friday Shopping
Interestingly, those who are at the top of their own Black Friday gift list fell into two age brackets. Our younger (18 to 35) and older (55+) readers are looking out for number one, with 57% and 38% of respondents saying they'd be shopping for themselves, respectively. Middle-aged folks were feeling more charitable, with 33% saying they'd be shopping for their kids. Don't give them too much credit though; 31% of 36- to 54-year-olds said they'd be mostly shopping for themselves, so the children only came out on top in this age group by a razor-thin margin.
Readers, were you also surprised by the results of our Black Friday survey? We're still curious, are you shopping for yourself this Black Friday and proud of it? Or will you go against the grain and do all your shopping for others? Sound off in the comments below.