As many as one in three Britons have admitted using physical force or shouted abuse at shop assistants or fellow consumers as stress levels rise during Christmas shopping. More than a third admitted to storming out of a shop when things got too much in queues, with one in four admitting to losing their temper over what they regarded later as an insignificant incident.
The survey, by online parcel delivery service http://www.myhermes.co.uk, which saves people from having to face queues, also found that the most annoying experience of shoppers is people being rude and impatient (30 per cent). The next most annoying things are people pushing in front of you (27 per cent) and long queues at the tills (27 per cent).
Few of us enjoy standing in long queues to pay in shops, experiencing bad customer service or witnessing people pushing in. As millions of Britons take to the high street in the last shopping days to Christmas, myhermes.co.uk advises shoppers to follow these five steps which may help alleviate the stress and bring out more of the seasonal goodwill in us all:
Shoppers Rage Tips
1.Dont leave it to the very last minute. If you are well prepared and dont leave it until Christmas Eve, you will feel calmer and less pressure.
2.Try shopping during the quieter periods of the day avoid lunchtime and the after work rush.
3.Do a good deed. If you and another customer rushes to join the queue, or a newly opened till, let them go ahead. The feeling of helping someone out is better than the feeling of beating someone in the queue.
4.If someone annoys you, take deep breaths and count to ten.
5.Make sure you have enough time. Avoid going shopping on lunch breaks when you have little time and make sure can park for longer than you need, so youre not rushing back to avoid a parking fine.
Using online parcel delivery service myhermes.co.uk, you can avoid queues as parcels are collected and delivered to and from your door, or any location of your choice. Its the cheapest door-to-door delivery service (prices start from 2.75 a parcel) with delivery available six days a week throughout the UK and takes between three and five days.