Millennials ‘most likely generation to suffer Christmas present disappointment’

Millennials are the most likely generation to be disappointed with their Christmas presents, research suggests.

Consumer group Which? asked almost 2,000 members of the public about the gifts they were given for Christmas last year and 25% of those who had received presents said they were given one or more that they were not happy with.

Millennials were much more likely to have received unwanted gifts than any of the other age groups surveyed, with 37% of those aged 25 to 34 who had received presents last year saying they had unwrapped ones they did not like.

Generation Z fared slightly better, with 31% of 18 to 24-year-olds given gifts they did not like.

Those aged 55 and over seemed most content with their Christmas lot, with 19% saying they received an unwanted gift last year.

Meanwhile, a packet of sanitary towels, an out-of-date gift voucher, a pineapple cutting machine and a hand-knitted willy warmer were among the worst presents people had received.

Londoners were the most likely to try and get a replacement or refund from the gift-giver for an unwanted present, with 17% plucking up the courage to ask for one compared with just 6% of the UK as a whole.

The survey found that people living in the Midlands were more likely to donate their unwanted present to charity than those in the capital.

Almost one in three (30%) Midlanders said this was their solution, compared to about one in ten (12%) Londoners.

When it came to what to do with unwanted presents, re-gifting was the most popular option, with a third (33%) adopting this approach while around a quarter (23%) said they donated the items to a charity shop.

One in ten of those surveyed said they planned to sell their unwanted present on an online marketplace, such as eBay.

Eleanor Snow, Which? consumer rights editor, said: “Most of us have been in the awkward position of receiving a gift that isn’t quite to our taste. What our research shows is that people have really different approaches when it comes to dealing with unwanted gifts.

“When shopping for gifts for others, we recommend asking for a gift receipt to ensure that if the recipient isn’t entirely happy, they have the option to easily exchange it for something they’ll really love.”