Have you ever struggled to think of a gift to get someone? That might explain the top item on this list.

Answer:

1. Gift cards (55%)
2. Clothing or accessories (49%)
3. Books, video games, and other media (28%)
4. Personal care or beauty items (25%)

Questions:

• Why do you think gift cards are the most popular gift option?
• Discuss how trends and marketing influence consumer spending on any of the categories in this list.
• How might advancing technology impact consumer spending on items a category like books, video games, and other media?
• Are there any categories you were surprised to see didn’t make the top 4? Explain why or why not.

Here are the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (Investopedia):

"Many of these gifts will be purchased over Thanksgiving weekend by a record-estimated 182 million shoppers. This is 15.7 million more people than in 2022 and is the highest estimate since NRF began tracking this data in 2017.

NRF expects online and other non-store sales to increase between 7% and 9% to between $273.7 billion and $278.8 billion over the holidays. This figure is up from $255.8 billion in 2022, which saw significant growth in digital channels during the pandemic as consumers turned to online shopping to meet their holiday needs."

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Want to access more Budgeting-focused activities and resources? Check out the Budgeting unit page.

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About the Author

Ryan Wood

Ryan is the Partnerships and Adoption Manager for Next Gen Personal Finance’s midwest region. He brings his experience as a former teacher, curriculum designer, and sales and marketing professional to state organizations and school districts in supporting the implementation of their personal financial education efforts. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and earned his teaching credential from Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota. He proudly taught at two rural high schools in Wisconsin before transitioning to curriculum design at NGPF, and is now excited to be on the front lines in delivering the best possible financial education in the midwest. He and his wife have three beautiful daughters, each of which inspire him to share the impact of being sound financial stewards both at home and as lifelong learners.