NewsPronto

 
The Times


.

USA Conversation

The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

How to pick the 'right' amount to spend on holiday gifts – according to an economist

  • Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Senior Lecturer, Questrom School of Business, Boston University
Last-minute shopping can be stressful.Everett Collection/Shutterstock.com

Gift giving is a big deal this time of year.

To find the “perfect” gift, Americans will spend about 15 hours shopping. Women will do about twice as much as men. And they’ll shell out about US$1 trillion on gifts.

While retailers relish the holiday shopping...

Read more: How to pick the 'right' amount to spend on holiday gifts – according to an economist

More Articles ...

  1. What the Trump administration gets right about hospital price transparency
  2. Students should learn about impeachment in school – here's how to make it work
  3. Are 'vaping' and 'e-cigarettes' the same, and should all these products be avoided?
  4. 5 ways Trump and his supporters are using the same strategies as science deniers
  5. Why support for the death penalty is much higher among white Americans
  6. You can join the effort to expose Twitter bots
  7. Why it seems like your friends have more to be thankful for
  8. Your big brain makes you human – count your neurons when you count your blessings
  9. Are you as grateful as you deserve to be?
  10. What to do with those Thanksgiving leftovers? Look to the French
  11. Jimmy Hoffa disappeared – and then his legacy took on a life of its own
  12. Medical errors still harm too many people but there are glimpses of real change
  13. How to tell if your digital addiction is ruining your life
  14. Diabetic foot wounds kill millions, but high-tech solutions and teamwork are making a difference
  15. Political hashtags like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter make people less likely to believe the news
  16. Why a measured transition to electric vehicles would benefit the US
  17. 5 years after Islamic State massacre, an Iraqi minority is transformed by trauma
  18. Syria military presence risks US credibility with world community
  19. Contrary to recent reports, Jupiter's Great Red Spot is not in danger of disappearing
  20. Thank fungi for cheese, wine and beer this holiday season
  21. Calling donors to thank them doesn't make them more likely to give again
  22. Donors need to stop pressuring nonprofits to pinch pennies
  23. How does a piece of bread cause a migraine?
  24. New College Scorecard could help students choose better colleges, but there's still room to improve it
  25. Kids may need more help finding answers to their questions in the information age
  26. What can you learn from studying an animal's scat?
  27. Israel’s West Bank settlements: 4 questions answered
  28. Brexit poses a dilemma for Northern Ireland's nationalists
  29. 2020 campaign shows the more women run, the more they are treated like candidates – not tokens
  30. How American anti-Semitism reflects the centuries-long struggle over the meaning of religious liberty
  31. Mothers in prison aren't likely to see their families this Thanksgiving – or any other day
  32. Protections against sexual misconduct on campus may end up stifling free speech
  33. Fight or switch? How the low-carbon transition is disrupting fossil fuel politics
  34. Cartel sieges leave Mexicans wondering if criminals run the country
  35. Do lockdown drills do any good?
  36. Americans bankrupted by health care costs: 4 questions answered
  37. Vitamin E and vaping injuries: What's safe in your diet is rarely safe in your lungs
  38. Gluten-sensitive liberals? Investigating the stereotype suggests food fads unite us all
  39. Documentary provides rare look at higher education in prison
  40. A major democracy fights to maintain the rule of law -- this time, it's Israel
  41. On TV, political ads are regulated – but online, anything goes
  42. Broken trust: How Iraqis lost their faith in Washington, long before the Kurds did
  43. Brain activity predicts which mice will become compulsive drinkers
  44. Light versus dark – the color of the meat is due to the job of the muscle
  45. Light versus dark – the color of the turkey meat is due to the job of the muscle
  46. How universal childhood trauma screenings could backfire
  47. Turning to turkey's tryptophan to boost mood? Not so fast
  48. What are blood types?
  49. Chile protests: President's speeches early in crisis missed the mark, AI study reveals
  50. Nail salon workers suffer chemical exposures that can be like working at a garage or a refinery