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Here we are once more, the annual deliberation of what to get your family and friends for Christmas. A YouGov poll found that Brits spend an average of €1325 on Christmas gifts, including €453 on presents. Yet a whopping 15% of people in Europe end up with gifts they don’t like. 1 in 10 will replace the gift and 14% will even sell them! Even sadder, is that 1 in 5 Christmas gifts will end up in landfill. Here are 5 reasons that a Town & City Gift Card is a more eco-friendly choice this Christmas.
1. They get exactly the gift they want.
Buying a gift is a little like mind reading, sometimes you get it spot on but sometimes, even with the best will in the world, you don’t. The GCVA found that we receive an average of two unwanted Christmas gifts each year. Give them a Town & City Gift Card and they can choose from lots of places to spend it, from food and drink, shopping, leisure and attractions, health & beauty, services and accommodation. They get exactly the gift they want and need, minimising waste. You can even send them our ‘What Present Are You Quiz’ and get the inside scoop on their perfect gift.
2. It cuts down on wrapping paper.
We get it, a beautifully wrapped gift topped with a bow under the tree looks beautiful, but is what’s inside worth the wrapping? We use four rolls of wrapping paper each at Christmas, a whopping 227,000 miles of paper each year. Around 80% of our paper is recycled, but it’s still a huge amount of wrapping we can avoid. Town & City Gift Cards can be sent directly to the recipient with a gift message, or get them delivered to yourself and wrap with a tiny square of paper or reusable gift bag. One little gift card, heaps of potential!
3. They discover fabulous new businesses near home
. A Barclaycard survey found that two thirds of UK consumers have started buying closer to home since the pandemic, and 9 out of 10 want to carry that on. Town & City Gift Cards are all about loving where you live, shopping locally and supporting local shops, restaurants, cafés, salons and more. So when you gift someone a Town & City Gift Card, you’re helping them to discover what’s on their doorstep.
4. Experiences not just products.
There’s the tendency to think that Christmas gifts have to be tangible, but beware! Last year, Vistaprint found that the worst Christmas presents of all time were photo frames, body sets, scented candles, beauty sets and chocolates. Little wonder then that these are the types of gifts destined for the charity shop, eBay or even landfill. Post pandemic and experiences are where it’s at. The GCVA found that Generation Z shoppers are particularly keen on experience gift cards, with 30.1% buying this type of gift card in January 2021. Town & City Gift Cards can be spent on an exercise class, a meal out, a night at the theatre and much more besides.
5. Small but mighty.
A huge gift may look impressive but as your mum always told you, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. One little Town & City Gift Card = heaps of potential and limitless ways to spend and enjoy. What’s more, many of our gift cards are now made from 100% paper rather than plastic, presenting an eco-friendly alternative to traditional plastic gift cards.
Christmas doesn’t have to mean excess, it can also mean shopping locally, minimising waste and showing we care. Find out which places you can buy Town & City Gift Cards for here.
