'Two-Minute Warning': Time to Get Off the Bench and Into the Holiday Shopping Game

Eighty-nine percent of men would rather watch their favorite sports team LOSE to their biggest rival than tackle holiday gift shopping. So, it's no surprise that just one week before the holidays 77 percent of men finally get into the gift-giving groove and head out to shop. A recent survey conducted by Sears made it clear that procrastination plays a prime position when it comes to men, sports and holiday shopping.

  'Tis The (Winning) Season?

  -- Seventy-one percent of men indicate that the success of their favorite
     football team impacts the amount of time they spend on holiday
     shopping: the better their team is doing, the more they watch/attend
     the games and the less time they have to go shopping.


  Food for Thought

  -- More than one-third of men (37 percent) would rather bake cookies than
     spend the afternoon holiday shopping in a crowded mall.  Men in the
     West are most likely (42 percent) to choose baking cookies while men in
     the Northeast are least likely (27 percent) to favor baking cookies as
     an alternative.

  -- Football and food are almost equally as popular when it comes to
     weekend activities that men look forward to during the holidays.
     Seventy-eight percent of men look forward to watching football and
     70 percent of men look forward to indulging in all of the seasonal
     goodies.  Not surprisingly, only 11 percent of men look forward to
     holiday shopping, and only 2 percent look forward to ... ice skating.


  Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

  -- With Hollywood in the vicinity, maybe it's not surprising that Western
     guys top the charts when it comes to belting out holiday songs - 21
     percent would rather go caroling than spend an afternoon shopping.


  Holiday Scouting Reports

  -- Eighty-nine percent of men agree that if they could fulfill all of
     their significant other's holiday wish list items at one store, then
     they would shop there.

  -- When it comes to lingerie, this year men have no fear! Only two percent
     of men think the scariest thing about purchasing holiday gifts for
     their significant other is being caught by a friend in the ladies
     "intimates" section.  Thirty-two percent of men surveyed think spending
     a large amount of money on a gift not on her wish list is scariest.


  Speaking of Money ...

  -- Forty-five percent of men in the South are planning to spend less than
     $100 on their significant other's holiday gifts this year.  However,
     guys in the Northeast are prepared to shell out some serious bucks for
     their sweeties - 41 percent estimate spending between $300 and $500
     this year.  Ca-ching!

  -- Almost half of men (49 percent) do not plan to spend more on their
     significant other's gifts this year than last year.


  Prime Time

  -- With true Southern Pride, 56 percent of men in the South spend 12 hours
     (approximately three games) or more per week watching football on
     TV vs. 50 percent of men in the Midwest and 39 percent of men in the
     Northeast.


  Excuses, Excuses

  According to men, some reasons for holiday shopping procrastination
  include:
     -- 72 percent don't know what to buy
     -- 59 percent don't want to go to several different stores for gifts
     -- 39 percent are watching football games during prime holiday shopping
        hours
     -- 18 percent are waiting for last-minute sales


  Score!

  For a more enjoyable shopping experience:
      -- 50 percent of men would like a play-by-play of their significant
         other's ultimate holiday wish list
      -- 32 percent of men would like a shopping "coach" to help find great
         presents in record time
      -- 32 percent of men would like to shop while watching their favorite
         football team play
      -- 28 percent of men would like plasma screen TVs (tuned to sports
         shows) throughout the store


  SURPRISE!

  -- Sixty percent of men between the ages of 45 and 54 prefer to surprise
     their significant other compared to only 39 percent of men between the
     ages of 18 and 24.


  Source: Sears Study conducted by StrategyOne from November 18 - November
  23, 2004.  The online survey was completed nationwide among 710 men who
  are holiday shopping procrastinators and sports fans. Margin of error is
  +/- 3.7 percentage points.

SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck and Co.

CONTACT: For additional survey statistics and information on men and
last-minute shopping, please contact Caitlin Allen of Edelman,
+1-312-297-7544, caitlin.allen@edelman.com , or Corinne Gudovic of Sears Media
Relations, +1-847-286-3226, cgudovi@sears.com

Web site: http://www.sears.com/