What did you buy your partner this February 14th? If it was an iPad then you are amongst the majority of overs who treated their significant other to a tech item this Valentine’s Day, according to MyDeals.com.
No longer will a bouquet of flowers bought a petrol station and a cheap bottle of plonk suffice; a study polled a total of 2,073 people in relationships from across the UK, as part of research into money-saving on Valentine’s Day gifts.
Respondents were initially asked what they had asked their partner to get them as a gift, and what their partner had asked them for, for Valentine’s Day this year. The top ten answers were as follows (respondents were allowed to choose more than one answer):
- iPad – 62%
- Lingerie – 58%
- Jewellery – 54%
- Day out (eg. a spa day) – 49%
- Camera – 47%
- Romantic meal – 43%
- New phone – 41%
- Flowers – 36%
- Laptop – 29%
- Chocolates – 27%
Those that had asked for an iPad were asked to stipulate why they had requested something so extravagant. The majority, 46% said that they had agreed a budget and 32% said that they would be buying something of equal value for their partner. However, 17% said that buying something expensive was a chance for their partner to show them how much they cared.
When asked to stipulate the importance of Valentine’s Day to them, a quarter, 26% said they thought it was ‘very important’, whilst 37% said they were indifferent about it. A fifth, 21% admitted that they only celebrated Valentine’s Day in order to get gifts.
Tom Packer, founder of MyDeals.com, had the following to say about the results:
“Whilst it was quite surprising to see so many tech items topping the list, I can’t say I was too shocked! In a day and age when we’re so dependent on technology, it would be strange if a list of present requests didn’t have any tech items on it. However, it’s important to remember that Valentine’s Day isn’t as big an occasion as something like a birthday or Christmas, so you should try and keep your present requests relatively reasonable. It’s not fair to ask your partner of three months to fork out for an iPad when 20 years ago, a bunch of flowers and a box of chocolates would have been considered more than enough.”
Well, now all those who were toting choccies and vino know what to do next year…if your relationship lasts that long!
