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Digest

Quality of life index

By TIMES WIRES
Published December 18, 2006

$24.81b Amount of money consumers are expected to spend on gift cards this holiday season, a record.

66 Percentage of shoppers who plan to buy a gift card for someone this season.

$116.51 Amount the average consumer is expected to spend on gift cards this season.

52.8 Percentage of shoppers who say they'd like to receive a gift card this year.

28 Percentage of shoppers who say they currently have an unused gift card in their wallet or at home.

$982m Amount of money remaining on unredeemed gift cards from last year's holidays.

16 Percentage of women who say they'd like to receive a gift card for Christmas, making gift cards the most popular present among women.

34 Percentage of people who plan to use their gift cards to buy a gift for someone else.

8 Percentage of consumers who plan to regift a gift card this year.

66 Percentage of gift card givers who say they don't expect their gift card to elicit a thank you note.

$1,110 Cost of a United Airlines gift certificate for 40,000 Mileage Plus miles.

$2,500 Cost of the most expensive gift card offered by Apple.

$10,000 Cost of the most expensive gift card offered by Tiffany & Co.

$100,000 Cost of the most expensive gift card offered by Four Seasons.

Sources: ConsumerReports.org, National Retail Federation, American Express, United Airlines, Apple, Best Buy, Tiffany & Co., Four Seasons

[Last modified December 18, 2006, 00:40:42]