Useless gifts

Why you should not give gifts that people do with unnecessary gifts and ranking of the most meaningless gifts 5-minute guide to useless gifts.

< Price Christmas holidays

In 1993, Yale economist Joel Waldfogel asked his students to estimate how much are they received gifts and how much they would be willing to pay for them themselves, not taking into account the sentimental value. The difference between the two figures - an average of 16% - it is defined as the net cost of the Nativity, was, according to his calculations, at least $ 4 billion in the US alone. In 2009 Uoldfogel published a book "Skrudzhenomika: Why you should not buy gifts for Christmas" (named after the main character of the story of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, "Ebenezer Scrooge). In it he estimated costs associated with gifts for the holidays around the world, at about $ 25 billion.

"After the war, the slaves of my parents Mom Dad Luke and Charlotte declined to freedom. Their only requirement was that each year receive a large sum of money to buy a "beast" that is, the mule. In the not too inventive manner every Christmas was declared dead mule - an obvious fiction that no one cheated and did not have to cheat, but gave an excuse so generous Christmas presents. »
© Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, the first man, entered the Society of fighting meaningless donation.
< What do with useless gifts

44% are trying to use for other purposes
39% are hidden from the eyes of
18% of victims
15% peredarivat
11% Returns in store
11% Kicks
Trying to sell 6%
2% returned to the donor
2% Hang picture on the internet

< How to make a meaningful gift

22% of Sweden admitted that in 2012 left themselves at least one gift, bought from someone else (a year ago these people were only 14%). "I myself do the same," - said the publication of The Locals study author Jenny Pedersen. In addition, 49% of Swedes buy gifts themselves.

< The most useless gift

Socks head lists the most unwanted gifts in Russia and England, and France is second only to tie. High rankings in all countries take candles and handkerchiefs. The French do not like tools, Italians - perfumes, and the inhabitants of England last year recognized the extremely unattractive Christmas present book "50 shades of gray».

"The good people who know how to accept the gift. Accepting the gift, then we are happy, sadness, but these feelings both unseemly. »
© Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer.

< Gift Certificates

Estimated first data, the value of gift certificates purchased in the US during the Christmas period in 2012 was $ 43 billion. According to a survey conducted by the company, half of Americans prefer 25-dollar real gift certificate, which costs twice as much. Despite this, according to research marketing firm Tower Group, from 2005 to 2011, Americans have lost $ 41 billion in unused gift certificates.

< Gifts arthropods

Pisaura Mirabilis

Male spider species Pisaura mirabilis before copulation females give gifts - insects packed in a web. Some cheat and wrapped in a web of inedible object. At present it does not affect the quality of the probability of pairing, but its effect on the duration.

< Heliconius

Butterflies genus Heliconius, in contrast, the probability of the quality of the mating depends present in particular on the content of cyanide.

< Gryllodes Sigillatus


Among crickets gifts without exception common, but females of the species in which the donation is not accepted (Gryllus veletis, Gryllus integer, Acheta domesticus), respond positively to the wedding gifts from males of other species (Gryllodes sigillatus).

< National characteristics donation

71% of Irish people pretend that they like the present, when in fact it is not
60% of Italians portrayed in this situation is a pleasant surprise
51% of Americans have no qualms about surrendering a bad gift shop
42% of Spaniards do not even have opened at least one gift received in 2009
10% of French people over the years received the same gift from the same person
9% of Germans are willing to tell the donor that the gift they do not need
6% of Britons are able to request a receipt from buying them

< The crime for the sake of a meaningless gift

December 6, 2012 the owner of a pet store in the town of Delta Pets Slidell, Louisiana, told the police about the robbery: lost royal python and boa two. Soon, in an empty building nearby police detained previously convicted Donald Legasta in the company of three reptiles. "We did not require aggressive investigative work to determine that these are the three snakes," - said Detective Daniel Sezeno. Legast told police that he stole the snakes to give his son for Christmas. English Research Center retail, which annually assesses losses from shoplifting, found that between Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2012 (32 days) Visitors to the United States and Europe have stolen goods to 5, 1 billion pounds.
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