Holiday procrastination: 17 million Americans will shop Christmas Eve

The swamped malls, crowded parking lots and frantic delivery companies say it all: Christmas crunch time is here for the two-thirds of Americans who still haven’t finished their holiday shopping.

That’s 132 million people trying to figure out last-minute gifts, according to a holiday poll conducted by Consumer Reports from Dec. 10 to 17.

Of the respondents, 14% have yet to start shopping. And 17 million people – 9% of the total – will still be scrambling on Christmas Eve.

So far, the average American has spent $340 on presents. An earlier report from Gallup found that shoppers are planning to shell out $770 for the holiday.

Procrastinators will likely end up doling out gift cards, cash, booze, lottery tickets or candy to their loved ones, according to Consumer Reports. Four percent of gifters will resort to IOUs.

Many will head online, where 38% said they’ll likely end up paying extra for expedited shipping.

Or consumers can just flee their gift recipients. We hear Florida is popular this time of year.

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