Post-Holiday Bills Give Consumers the Blues, Coinstar Survey Finds
Tuesday, 04 December 2007
A new survey by Coinstar, Inc. reveals a fact that many of us try to ignore: after the high of holiday shopping and festivities are over, many Americans get the blues after receiving bank and credit card statements. The survey also shows that many people look for solutions to stretch their holiday budgets by forgoing certain luxuries or cashing in their coin jar.
· More than six in ten Americans (62 percent) admit to feeling the blues after the holidays. One of the biggest downers? Those dreaded credit card and bank statements (27 percent). In fact, Americans are nearly twice as likely to feel depressed when their bills come in, than when it’s time to head back to work (27 percent vs. 14 percent).
· Of those Americans who admit to stretching their budget during the holidays, 43 percent say they forgo certain luxuries, like going out with their friends, while more than one in four (27 percent) cash in their coin jar for some extra spending money.
“There’s about $90 in forgotten change sitting in the average American household, money that can easily be used to supplement holiday budgets,” said Alex Camara, senior vice president and general manager of worldwide coin at Coinstar, Inc.
Consumers can take their spare change to select Coinstar® Centers and receive free coin counting when they place the value of their change onto gift cards or eCertificates from retailers like Amazon.com, Circuit City, iTunes, Starbucks and more.