Brits hit the shops to relax and run up debt
It seems shoppers and the people who serve just can't stay away from the stores and the accompanying personal debt.
One in four Britons shop to relieve stress despite rising personal debts, and many of the most ardent shoppers work in the retail and service sectors, a survey by a charity for retail workers found.
The survey of 2,500 respondents by research firm YouGov for the charity Retail Trust revealed that a quarter of the country seek stress relief from a trip to the shops, and that 18-24 year olds are more likely to do so than any other age group.
People working in service industries, such as hotels and restaurants, are almost twice as likely to buy to alleviate stress than any other profession.
And all that shopping adds to a trend for personal debt that keeps on rising.
The retail and service industries also top the rankings for debt, with 10 percent of supermarket workers admitting they owed more than 100 percent of their income in personal debt and 8 percent of retail workers admitting to owing 71 percent or more of their annual income in debt.
Men are more likely to be in debt than women, with 32 percent of them owing up to 20 percent of their income.
"It is estimated that an astonishing one in five people in Britain work in the retail industry and the survey results reinforce the fact that there are a large number of people in need of help and advice," said Retail Trust Chief Executive Nigel Rothband.
People living in Wales ranked the highest in terms of stress related shopping, beating London and the West Midlands.
The remainder of respondents said they shopped for pure enjoyment. Retailers came top of this category despite the fact that they work in shops from nine to five.
Source: reuters.co.uk
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