Speedy holiday service arrives
By LAURA PETRECCA
USA Today
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Time is money for consumers, so stores and banks that want their holiday business are trying to satisfy shoppers' need for speed.
More than half of all consumers, at all income levels, say lack of time is a bigger problem for them than lack of money in a poll by consulting company Yankelovich out Friday.
The 56 percent citing a significant time deficit put a median price on their personal time of $1.50 a minute — $90 an hour (half said less, half said more). Even the 44 percent feeling less stress put a median value on their minutes of $1.
"Christmas is a hard deadline. You don't get an extension," says David Bersoff, Yankelovich executive vice president.
"And as you get closer to Christmas, time gets even more valuable."
Among businesses trying to lure consumers by offering speedy service:
Sears is trying to satisfy "people who want something fast," says spokeswoman Gail Lavielle.
Walmart.com CEO Carter Cast says that launching a faster, simpler site was vital for the holidays, when traffic rises 40 percent to 60 percent.
"The strategy for shoppers is to do as much preplanning as possible," says spokeswoman Michele Rothstein.
Jason Short, an accountant from Albion, Mich., can relate. He buys gifts for 12 people and wants to do it as efficiently as possible.
"I cannot stand the huge lines at the department stores," he says. "I shop on the Internet. I can check out as soon as I can type in my credit card number."
