You'll Never Use That Fancy Waffle Maker

Gift desires dissolve when confronted with complicated gizmos
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 21, 2009 1:17 AM CST
You'll Never Use That Fancy Waffle Maker
You might think you want a waffle maker now, but just wait until you receive one as a gift and realize it has to be cleaned after each use.   (©SpecialKRB)

Hard as it may be to believe, many people ask for fancy holiday gifts and then barely use them, a shocking new study reveals. “Sometimes the reality of owning an object doesn’t quite measure up to our expectations,” explains a psychologist. Some 59% of gifts in the study were used less frequently than expected, HealthDay News reports.

Even worse, “recipients predicted that the gifts would be used close to twice as frequently as they actually were,” states the study. So that Wii you’re convinced you’ll use to exercise at least once a day will result in some huffing and puffing three times a week, maybe. “A small step toward solving the problems of savings, clutter, and the environment is to consult with others about our purchases and take their prediction seriously,” the study concludes.
(More Christmas gift stories.)

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