We wish you a 'cautious' Christmas

Latest research from MINTEL finds a definite air of caution amongst this year’s Christmas shoppers, as they tentatively get ready for the festive season. While last year well over half (54%) of British adults said that they ” usually spend more than they plan to ” at Christmas, this has fallen to just 44% this year and more people than ever are also planning to stick to their budget. What is more, one in ten (10%) adults say that they will be spending ‘a lot less than last year’, which is twice as many as the 5% who said this in 2003. Back in 2003, 15% of adults said that they ‘tend to go into debt over Christmas’, by increasing their overdraft, spending on their credit card or even taking out a loan. In just one year, this has fallen to as few as one in ten (10%).