IT'S GETTING DESPERATE OUT THERE

Orlando Sentinel - December 21, 2006 –

Traffic headed to Orlando Fashion Square mall was backed up all the way to Mills Avenue yesterday afternoon, and it was no use even trying to get in the parking lot of the Target on East Colonial.

Clearly, a lot of people are still Christmas shopping. And as the clock ticks down to Dec. 25, a lot of procrastinators are getting desperate, a new poll says.

In fact, at this point, two-thirds of Americans are willing to take at least one "desperate measure," such as parking illegally or calling in sick, to get their Christmas shopping done, the ShopLocal poll found.

How desperate is it out there? How about:

• One quarter of men surveyed will "buy anything just to buy something," compared to 14 percent of women. Men also are more likely to park illegally, with 10 percent of respondents saying they do compared to 5 percent of women.
  
• Parents with children under age 12 living at home are on average more likely than anyone else to resort to desperate measures, with 77 percent saying that they do everything from park illegally to pay exorbitant, last-minute shipping costs.
  
• Age affects shopping desperation as well, with 16 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds saying they will call in sick from work to complete holiday shopping compared to only 7 percent overall and 3 percent of 55- to 64-year-olds.
  
• Respondents with higher incomes are more likely to "shop weird hours, " with 58 percent of those earning $75,000+ annually doing so compared to 43 percent in the $25,000 to $35,000 salary range.
  
  http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_business_blog/
  2006/12/its_getting_des.html

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