美聖誕消費調查:超值最重要
Two-thirds of U.S. consumers have yet to finish their holiday shopping, and 41 percent expect to finish at least a week prior to Christmas, according to a new survey.
One-fourth of consumers will be shopping the week leading into Christmas, including Christmas Eve, according to the first annual American Express Spending and Saving Tracker research report.
"Actually, we found in this holiday season there is this game of watching and waiting ... that deals will get sweeter as the clock winds down," said Mona Hamouly, a spokeswoman for the report.
Some 62 percent of consumers are waiting until the last minute to shop for the holiday.
Thirty-one percent are waiting for the best deals before finishing their shopping, while about 20 percent plan to do so at the last minute because they are still saving or are busy, and one in 10 say they are waiting for that last pay check before the holidays.
Hamouly said consumers seem to be "managing their cash flow and seeking out those great deals" this year.
Over the next 30 days, 65 percent of people expect to spend the same or more than they spent in the past 30 days and one-third intend to spend less, according to the survey prepared for American Express.
Hamouly said the weak economy was a large factor in consumers' attitude toward shopping, with many feeling cash-strapped.
In addition to a general sample of consumers, the survey targeted two sub-groups -- those designated as "affluents" and "young professionals."
Affluents were defined as having a minimum annual household income of $100,000, while young professionals were those who were less than 30 years old, had a college degree and a minimum annual household income of $50,000.
During the next 30 days, among consumers who expect to spend more, 56 percent say they will be spending the most on holiday gifts.
More than 40 percent expect to spend less in the next month because they are trying to save money, the prices of goods have increased, or they want to maintain a budget. One-third cite the need to reduce their debt.
"Even for the affluent population, they want to get the best deals too," Hamouly said.
The two top items consumers will be buying over the next 30 days are groceries and holiday gifts.
一項最新調查顯示，美國三分之二的消費者尚未完成聖誕採購，41%的消費者打算至少在節前一週去購物。
據美國運通消費與儲蓄追蹤首個年度報告稱，四分之一的消費者將在聖誕節當週進行大采購，包括聖誕前夕這一天。
該調查報告的女發言人莫娜•漢姆莉說：“實際上，我們發現這個聖誕季人們有點觀望等待的意思，期待隨着聖誕的臨近能買到超值的東西。”
約62%的消費者準備等到最後一刻再去購物。
31%的消費者還在等待超值優惠，約20%的消費者由於仍在存錢或很忙，打算等到最後一刻再去採購，10%的消費者稱他們等節前領到薪水再去購物。
漢姆莉說，今年消費者似乎“更注意管理他們的資金流，希望買到超值的東西”。
根據這項爲美國運通開展的調查，在未來30天內，65%的人的消費支出將等同或超過過去30天，三分之一的人則打算少花點錢。
漢姆莉說，疲軟的經濟狀況是造成這種消費心態的一個重要因素，很多人覺得缺錢。
除對消費者進行總體抽樣調查外，該調查還特別關注了兩個羣體：“富裕人羣”和“年輕職場人士”。
“富裕人羣”被定義爲年家庭收入至少爲10萬美元的人，“年輕職場人士”指的則是那些30歲以下、有大學學歷和年家庭收入至少爲5萬美元的人羣。
在未來30天內打算增加消費的人羣中，56%的人說購買節日禮物將佔節日支出的大頭。
超過40%的消費者打算在下個月縮減開支，有的是因爲想省錢，有的是因爲物品漲價，而有的則是想保持預算平衡。三分之一的人表示要減輕自己的負債。
漢姆莉說：“即使是富裕人羣，他們也想買到最實惠的東西。”
雜貨和節日禮物將成爲未來30天內最暢銷的兩樣東西。
Vocabulary:
wind down: (of a clock spring) to become slack （鍾、表等）越走越慢而終於停下
cash-strapped: short ofcash 缺乏現金的
affluent:a person who is well-off financially 富裕的人
