B.C. men Christmas-gift shop down to the deadline, again

Christmas comes but once a year, and with it, many retailers have come to expect to encounter the male shopper who needs a little extra help as the deadline draws near.

Some may say it's an unfair gender stereotype — the man who leaves Christmas shopping until it's almost too late — but a  number of men that CBC News Vancouver spoke with on Christmas Eve agreed the stereotype fits them.

"It's part of the thing about Christmas, going out and buying things, and men don't plan that far ahead and most men detest shopping," one last-minute male shopper said.

Rocio Rodriguez, of La Vie En Rose, was one of many retailers prepped and ready to offer advice on gifts, both naughty and nice to Christmas Eve shoppers.

"Most of them are men who are looking for the last-minute gifts for the wife, or the girlfriend, or the mom sometimes," she said.

Some men revel in the rush of the last-minute gift expedition.

"I'm just getting going. It's noon on Christmas Eve. It's the most festive time of the year: Time to get going on some Christmas shopping," another man polled said.

 Is this your usual routine? CBC asked.

"Absolutely," he said.

Another man said he experiences clarity of purpose as the clock counts down.

"Well, I always want to think of the perfect thing, and it usually comes to me when there is time pressure."

David Gray, a retail analyst, has been tracking who buys, and when.

He says there may be some method to his gender's apparent madness.

"Guys like me who maybe have put it off are not big fans of the shopping experience," he said.

He also said that more and more shoppers are finding Boxing Day-like deals two days early.

Gray says while the last hours may be a quieter time to shop, there is one major drawback.

"The only downside is if you're looking for a very particular toy, for example, you could run into a situation where it's out of stock and you're suddenly running all over Vancouver," Gray said.