Whiting, U.S.A. — As the classic holiday song goes, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” Or is it? A new survey reveals that some aspects of the holiday season can be irk-inducing.

The survey, conducted by coupon site CouponCabin.com, reveals people’s biggest holiday pet peeves, with traffic congestion and crowding topping the list. This survey was conducted online nationwide by Harris Interactive on behalf of CouponCabin.com from November 30  – December 4, 2012, among 2,691 U.S. adults aged 18 and older.

While traffic congestion and crowding are the top holiday pet peeves for 52 percent of U.S. adults, a variety of other holiday happenings made the list:

• How early the holiday decorations, sales and store displays start  – 46 percent
• All anyone thinks about is gifts, not the spirit of the holidays – 42 percent
• People who cut in line – 35 percent
• Travel prices being too high – 28 percent
• Too much holiday music on radio stations or in stores – 23 percent
• Pressure to give gifts to more people than I really want to – 22 percent
• When people leave their Christmas tree/lights up until late winter (February or March) – 16 percent
• People who double dip at holiday parties – 12 percent
• Stores that don’t give out boxes – 10 percent
• Family members or friends who don’t bring anything when I’m hosting a party – 6 percent
• Other – 6 percent

While the holiday season’s pressures can frazzle many people, others stay festive no matter what. The majority (89 percent) report they have holiday pet peeves, but more than one-in-ten (11 percent) said they don’t have any.

“The holidays are typically the busiest time of year for many people, leaving them prone to burnout and frustration,” said Jackie Warrick, President at CouponCabin.com. “Make sure to carve out time in your day to take care of your own needs, as well as reflect on what the true meaning of the holidays are to you.”

Whether it’s a pet peeve or a frustration, when asked what is their least favorite part of the holiday season, a random sampling of U.S. adults surveyed said the following:

• Thanksgiving being forgotten.
• Added pressure at work to cram everything in and get everything done before the end of the year, right when you want to relax and focus on the season.
• Burnout! By the time Christmas is here I’m ready for it to be over.
• Taking down the Christmas tree and putting away all the decorations.
• Annoying TV commercials, like the one with the car wrapped in a giant bow as a gift.
• Everyone feels the need to be artificially friendly.
• Hangovers.
• So many parties and demands on my time then in January, things are dead.
• Spending money on gifts that should really be used for bills or savings.
• The frenzy to purchase the latest electronic gadget.
• Weight gain caused by the vast amounts of food and snacks that we buy, make or are surrounded by.
• Having to go to office parties.
• Using my credit card when I prefer to pay cash for items and usually charge some gifts during this time.
• All the same songs are overplayed.
• The political debates my family gets into after we’ve all had too much eggnog.
• Putting the lights on my house.
• Realizing how fast another year went by and that my children have gotten old enough that the Christmas “magic” is no longer there.
• Saying goodbye to friends and relatives.

The article Traffic Congestion Tops Holiday Pet Peeves According to Survey appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Cupid’s arrows are ready to fly this Valentine’s Day, but a new survey reveals that some daters would benefit from dating etiquette classes. The survey, conducted by coupon site CouponCabin.com,reveals the biggest dating deal breakers, with poor hygiene, (e.g. body odor, bad teeth, and dirty hair) topping the list.

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of CouponCabin from January 17th -19th, 2012 among 2,415 U.S. adults ages 18 and older.

While poor hygiene is the biggest dating deal breaker with 84 percent of U.S. adults, a variety of other dating missteps made the list:

• Using their mobile phone too much; constantly texting, checking email – 75 percent
• Being rude to a server or host/hostess – 73 percent
• Talking too much about an ex – 70 percent
• Flirting with the server or host/hostess – 61 percent
• Date drinking too much alcohol – 60 percent
• Aggressive driving – 49 percent
• Not offering to pay for the whole date, or at least to pay for their share – 33 percent
• Being too expensive of a date (e.g. ordering the most costly food and drink) – 31 percent
• Talking about a potential long-term future together – 30 percent
• Using websites or social media (e.g. Facebook) to find out information before the date – 26 percent

Women were significantly more likely than men to consider dating offenses deal breakers, in every case aside from being too expensive of a date, wherein men were significantly more likely (34 percent) to say that it was a deal breaker than women (28 percent).

The biggest discrepancies in opinion on what constitutes a deal breaker between women and men were for using a mobile phone too much during a date, at 82 percent and 68 percent, respectively, and being rude to a server or host/hostess, at 80 percent and 65 percent, respectively.

“Dating can have many hurdles, but don’t let the money issues get in the way of a potential love connection,” said Jackie Warrick, President and Chief Savings Officer at CouponCabin.com. “Many modern daters often offer to at least pay part of their share, and if not, are cognizant and order moderately priced items.

No matter what the situation, though, daters should strive for politeness and tact, especially when making that critical first impression.” First impressions aren’t the only difficult part of dating. Selecting the right Valentine’s Day gift can also be challenging ground in the land of courtship. When asked what was the worst Valentine’s Day gifts they’ve ever received, U.S. adults said the following:

• Bathroom scale
• Birthday card. Valentine’s Day is not my birthday.
• Pooper-scooper
• Dead butterfly mounted in a plastic case. It was our second date.
• Break-up text
• Card stating a donation was made in my name for a charity I don’t support.
• Laundry basket
• Pair of silk boxers that had someone else’s name on the gift tag.
• Stuffed animal that looked like it was won out of one of those claw games.
• Electric can opener
• Lottery tickets
• Tupperware
• Snowshoes

The article Poor Hygiene Named the Top Deal Breaker on a Date appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.