The international company MasterCard has conducted a large-scale pan-European study on New Year's gifts. More than 15,000 people from 17 countries took part in it, and based on its results, a list of the most unwanted New Year gifts was compiled both in Russia and in Europe as a whole.
"Black list" of New Year gifts for Russia
Stationery took first place in the list - almost two-thirds of respondents (64%) noted this idea as very unsuccessful. Therefore, no matter how you would like to present your friends and acquaintances with cute diaries or expensive pens, remember - most will be disappointed.
A vacuum cleaner and a toaster - such useful things in the household, very popular as gifts for relatives, it turns out that they are also not the best choice. They took the second and third places, and with a minimal gap - 57% of respondents would not like to receive a vacuum cleaner as a gift, a toaster - 56.
Edible gifts were in fourth place in the New Year's "anti-rating". Pleasant additions to the New Year's table will not be appreciated by 53% of the inhabitants of Russia. What is noteworthy, according to other polls, it can be concluded that edible gifts also include booze - such a popular gift as a "bottle of good alcohol" very often appears in the rating of unwanted ones.
Kitchen accessories round out the five nastiest ideas for the New Year. Exactly half of the respondents would be disappointed if they received a set of pots, a juicer or other cooking utensils as a gift.
Money is often referred to as the best gift. However, 47% of Russian participants in the study admitted that cash as a present from Santa Claus, from their point of view, is far from the best option. Too impersonal - and most importantly for a gift, after all, not the cost, but an individual approach.
A charitable contribution is a relatively new gift format for Russia, which is now being actively promoted. Its idea is approximately as follows: the donor makes a list of charitable foundations and invites the recipient of the gift to choose where to transfer the amount. In essence, the gifted person is given the opportunity to "do a good deed." However, not everyone is happy about this: the donated charity took the 7th place in the ranking.
Products for the bathroom and shower at a time when there is no longer a shortage of soap, shampoos and shaving foam in the country is also not the best presentation option. Therefore, the go-to-wash gift sets, so promoted by supermarkets and cosmetics stores, took the eighth line of the list.
Electronics is in ninth place in the ranking of unwanted gifts. However, an exception should be made for the “gadgets” popular among Russians: smartphones, tablets and digital cameras are usually perceived very favorably.
Bed linen completes the "black list" of New Year's gifts. This is undoubtedly a useful thing in the household, but donors are far from always able to guess the size of the blanket, and everyone has different tastes in terms of colors.
How is it in Europe?
The pan-European list of unsuccessful gifts for the New Year and Christmas is somewhat different from the Russian one. The goldfish became the absolute leader here - it was noted by more than half of the respondents (52%). In second place - also a vacuum cleaner, third and fourth shared equally unwanted toaster and office supplies. In fifth and sixth place, as in Russia, are kitchen accessories and cash gifts.
Food is seventh in the ranking, charitable donation is in eighth place, bed linen is in ninth place. Bath and shower products complete the rating.
But, of course, different countries have their own peculiarities. For example, in Spain and Italy the title of the worst gift was won by cash - it was named by 52 and 45 percent of respondents. And 27% of respondents from Turkey even believe that money as a gift can serve as a reason for a serious quarrel.
