Over a third of Scots sell unwanted wedding presents at car boot sales, says Wedding List survey

March 7 2006: It’s not post honeymoon blues that’s getting Britain’s married couples down, according to a new survey for Amazon.co.uk/Wedding, Amazon’s new wedding list survey- it’s the wedding presents!

1 in 4 British married couples are unhappy with over a third of their presents, according to the survey. The presents that don’t ring Britain’s wedding bells are:

  • Fondue set
  • Teasmade
  • Wine decanter
  • His and hers towelling robes
  • Picnic hamper

The gifts are often to be found gathering dust in the spare room of the house, except with the gift-giver comes for dinner. A third admitted hiding away decanters and ugly ornaments and bringing them out only when the gift giver visits – the figure soars to an astonishing 42% of couples from Wales.

Many happy couples don’t keep their gifts long enough to gather dust. 1 in 5 naughty newlyweds have hot-footed it down to the local car boot sale to flog their unwanted wedding gifts, with Scots the worst offenders. Over 35% of smug marrieds North of the Border have sold their his-and-her towelling robes out of the boot of the car.

The findings were released today to coincide with the launch today of Amazon.co.uk/wedding, Amazon’s new wedding list service. Unlike other wedding list services that focus purely on traditional wedding gifts, Amazon.co.uk/Weddings allows couples to choose from Amazon’s entire selection of consumer electronics, home and garden goods, DVDs, books and CDs.

Adding products to Amazon wedding lists is simple – happy couples need only grab a glass of wine, settle down at the computer, and start browsing through the millions of products on offer, adding gifts with a click of the mouse. Once the list is complete, wedding guests can be notified by e-mail – and after the honeymoon, couples are provided with a thank-you list to remind them of who bought what.

According to amazon.co.uk. the top 5 ‘most-wanted’ wedding gifts are

  • Flat screen TV
  • Gift vouchers
  • His & hers iPod/DAB radio
  • DVD player & recorder
  • Selections of glossy coffee table books/DVD &CD libraries

Celebrity wedding planner, Sarah Haywood explained: “Because more newlyweds have already set up home together they are seeking more aspirational, status-building and self-indulgent wedding list presents. Amazon’s research reinforces how important it is to set up a good wedding list to avoid duplications and mistakes.”

Amazon.co.uk’s aptly named UK country manager, Brian McBride, said: “Our research has shown that couples’ tastes are changing. Luckily we have everything from flat screen TVs to fondue sets at amazon.co.uk and now thanks to the wedding list service guests can be sure their gift won’t end up at the car boot sale!

“We hope that now couples can create the perfect wedding list in the comfort of their own home, choosing from millions of gifts on our familiar site, unwanted wedding gifts will be a thing of the past.”

For further information please contact the Amazon.co.uk press office on 020 8636 9280.

About Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.co.uk opened its virtual doors in October 1998, and strives to be the world's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online. Amazon.co.uk and sellers list millions of new and used items in categories such as Books, Music, Video, DVD, Software, PC & Video Games, Electronics & Photo, Home & Garden, and Toys & Games!. Through Amazon Marketplace, zShops and Auctions any business or individual can sell virtually anything to Amazon.co.uk's millions of customers. Amazon.co.uk customers enjoy the benefits of industry-leading online-shopping technology, such as secure credit-card payment, personalised recommendations, streamlined, 1-Click® ordering and hassle-free Bid-Click® auction bidding. Through Amazon Anywhere, Amazon.co.uk is also available on mobile phones with WAP technology--see www.amazon.co.uk/anywhere for details.

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