Restaurant.com Holiday Survey Reveals Gift-Giving Feeds the Soul, Tops Meeting Hollywood Celebs

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., Dec. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Tis the season to spread the Spirit of Giving! Restaurant.com, the leading provider of restaurant savings nationwide and founder of Feed It Forward, the Internet's biggest holiday giving celebration, today revealed results from its Spirit of Giving survey. The survey uncovered insights on the motivation behind holiday gift giving, as well as its emotional impact as shoppers head to the stores this season.

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Spirit of Giving Survey Results:

• A Season of Selflessness: Our survey showed that 91 percent (nine out of 10) would rather GIVE than receive.
• The Secret to Holiday Happiness: A whopping 95 percent stated they experience happiness when giving presents.
• Gift-Giving More Exciting than Meeting J-Lo or George Clooney: When given the choice, only 3 percent stated they would choose meeting Jennifer Lopez over being able to provide gifts to everyone on their holiday list. Only 9 percent would choose meeting George Clooney in the same situation.
• Gift-Giving Guilt: A staggering 87 percent admitted to feeling gift-giving guilt for excluding individuals from their holiday lists.
• Gift-Giving Trade-offs: In order to give holiday gifts, 55 percent planned to work extra hours, 70 percent planned to cut down on spending throughout the year and 85 percent chose to eliminate buying extras for themselves.
• Pampering Timeout: Slightly more than 65 percent admitted to doing without beauty or barber appointments to give gifts this holiday season.
• Affordability Affects Generosity: The survey showed that 85 percent admitted they simply could NOT afford to be as giving as they would like this holiday season, while 92 percent stated they would give gifts to more people if they had the means to do so.
• Shrinking Shopping Lists: Half of respondents admitted they would be trimming teachers, mailmen, neighbors, co-workers, bosses, paper deliverers, dry cleaners, babysitters, hairstylists and party hostesses from their shopping lists this year.

To see the complete results of the Spirit of Giving survey and the Feed It Forward press kit, visit Restaurant.com's press center.

The 2011 Spirit of Giving Survey was conducted online by Restaurant.com using Survey Monkey from Nov. 9-15, 2011, with 1000 consumers participating. Respondents were fielded through social media channels including Facebook and Twitter.

About Feed It Forward
Feed It Forward was launched in response to the tough economic times with the understanding that there is a hidden emotional gem in giving to others. The program enables participants to give up to 40 free $10 Restaurant.com eGift Cards Thanksgiving through Christmas Day to family, friends, co-workers, neighbors or anyone who deserves a kind gesture. Since Feed It Forward's inception in 2008, the Restaurant.com community has given more than $42 million in gifts. To learn more about Feed It Forward or to participate in the giving celebration, visit www.Restaurant.com/FeedItForward.  

About Restaurant.com
Restaurant.com helps deepen relationships and create lasting memories one dining experience at a time. The private, profitable company offers savings at more than 18,000 restaurants nationwide with more than 45,000 daily gift certificate options. Restaurant.com brings family and friends together to relax, converse and enjoy dining out. Restaurant.com has helped customers save more than $500 million since the Arlington Heights, Ill.-based company was founded in 1999. The 400-employee company was named one of the Top 100 Places to Work by the Chicago Tribune in 2011.

SOURCE Restaurant.com