The clock is ticking on your holiday shopping, but if you're scrambling for gift ideas for someone in the metro area, you may want to check out a tool published by the New York Times this weekend which tracks what people buy where.
The breakdown -- "Different Cities, Different Spending" -- uses six years of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to compare the buying habits of 19 cities in four different kinds of products (food, drink and vices; appearances; home and auto; and health and "me" time), ranking them against the national average.
Here are some more things Atlanta spends less or more of than usual, which can be spun into shopping dos and don'ts (maybe avoid picking out a new Christmas cat) or as an interesting glimpse into what everyone could already be buying everyone else.
Atlanta spends less:
- 6 percent less on cosmetics
- 6 percent less on personal computers
- 6 percent less on housekeeping
- 11 percent less on new cars
- 14 percent less on wigs and hairpieces
- 15 percent less on coffee
- 19 percent less on bicycles
- 19 percent less on books
- 20 percent less on pets
- 57 percent less on watches
- 66 percent less on dinnerware
Atlanta spends more:
- 25 percent more on women's footwear
- 33 percent on men's suits
- 35 percent more on women's dresses
- 63 percent more on lawn and garden
Check out the AJC's complete 2014 Holiday Guide for more info on events, shopping, entertaining tips and more.
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