Four out of ten men admit buying their other half presents – which they will enjoy more themselves, it emerged today.
Image: Homer buys Marge a bowling ball for her birthday in The Simpsons
Games consoles, DVDs, and digital cameras are among the gifts which crafty blokes have splashed out this Christmas which they will get to enjoy too.
Other popular ‘presents’ include an iPod, television and laptop.
It also emerged almost one in six couples will row over his choice of present.
A spokesman for The Perfume Shop, which commissioned the study of 3,000, adults, said:”Many men think Christmas is the perfect opportunity to get something you have wanted for ages.
”But your partner might not feel the same when she opens the gift and realises you are more excited by it than she is.
”Instead of buying a TV or gadget that you know you will get plenty of use out of, you will get a lot more brownie points by treating your wife or girlfriend to something she really wants.”
The study also found six out of ten men have given their partner a present, knowing it was something they wanted too, with more than two thirds doing this at Christmas.
Another 39 per cent do this on birthdays while 19 per cent even buy what they want on anniversaries.
However, researchers found women aren’t as clueless as men think with 36 per cent claiming they knew some of their gifts were things their man could use to.
Blokey DVDs emerged as the item men are most likely to pass off as a gift for their loved one, followed by a digital camera and a laptop.
But while 73 per cent of guys reckon their partner loved the gift, 15 per cent admitted that although their other half pretended to like it, they could tell they weren’t really keen.
In reality though, only 45 per cent of women claim they weren’t bothered when they were given something they knew was really for their partner.
Alongside a holiday and jewellery, perfume is a girl’s top gift for Christmas with 36 per cent listing it as an ideal present from a partner, especially when it’s been luxuriously wrapped.
However the study also revealed more than a quarter of guys admitted they haven’t got a clue what perfume their girlfriend wears, so it seems that girls could end up getting the wrong scent this Christmas.
A spokesperson for The Perfume Shop added: “From this survey, we found out that although many men try to buy a fragrance that they know their other half will like, others are attracted to a brand because of the advertising or a celebrity connection.”
TOP TEN ‘FOR US’ PRESENTS
1. DVDs
2. Digital camera
3. Laptop
4. Tickets to a concert/event
5. A weekend away
6. A holiday
7. iPod
8. Nintendo Wii
9. Computer
10. TV
What is wrong with those gifts? I would be thrilled to get those! If my husband got me perfume I would ask him to take it back. I don’t want my husband to buy me jewelry, I’d rather have a new ipod or camera accessory. A weekend away, courtesy of my husband, while he would get enjoyment out of too, would be great! Also as a side note, more gifts should be adventuring rather than stuff. Any woman who is upset that her husband is paying for a vacation and planning it for her should be ashamed.
you have to be a selfish partner to buy something that you want for yourself. the whole idea of gift giving is to please someone OTHER than yourself!
I’d think that if you are a correctly matched couple that many things you buy for your spouse is something that by definition that you’d both enjoy…
I’m curious about the flip side. Did women not give gifts, or were their gifts any more thoughtful?
A spokesman for The Perfume Shop, which commissioned the study of 3,000, adults…
Ah, that explains it.
Those are great gifts. Giving something you want is a bit of a sacrifice and it is sharing something you like. Ideally you find a gift you both want and are interested in. It is something to enhance the relationship. I have been married for 11 years. Our time playing on the Wii much more memorable then any jewelry or flowers.
All this is is an advertisement masquerading as an article by “The Perfume Shop” to get men try buy Perfume for Christmas. Notice there’s no author?
Huh. No wonder my husband wants to get me an iPad…
“Huh. No wonder my husband wants to get me an iPad… ”
Maybe for when you have your iPeriod?
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I already own a digital camera, a laptop, an mp3 player, a computer, and a Wii, and a fair share of the DVDs. The TV was a joint selection and purchase. I’d be thrilled by anything else on that list. Or power tools, they’re always good. High on the list of things I don’t want is perfume. It’s pretty obvious who wrote this advertising disguised as an article.
Isn’t communication supposed to be important in a relationship?
I like those commercials you see with the spouse surprising the other with a car in the driveway with a big red ribbon. I think for 99% of the spouses who bought that gift, they would have some explaining to do.
Rememer that the iPod isn’t the only mp3 player on the market. So, we should say mp3 player not iPod. What about the Creative Zen or MS Zune? Creative pioneered the MP3 player and had one out a year before the iPod