Laptops, TVs, Cameras Top Gift Lists

A survey of Americans shows which gifts people dream about, and which ones they dread.

It looks like retailers get it right with their Black Friday ads every year: high-end consumer electronics are the most coveted gifts for the holiday season. A survey commissioned by Office Depot shows that flat-panel TVs, laptops, and digital cameras are in demand this season.

Although the company did not release the full results of the survey showing exactly where each item fell in relation to others, the statistics for all three showd impressive demand. Forty-two percent of respondents wanted laptop computers as a gift, while 30 percent were after digital cameras. When asked to name a must-have technology gift for this year, 50 percent of shoppers cited LCD or plasma TVs. The least desirable gifts: fruit cakes and novelty items such as candles, lotions and potpourri.

The survey also probed consumers’ willingness to spend, and found that more than 35 percent of people planned to spend upwards of $500 on gifts for family and friends this year. Another 24 percent said they would make that figure $1,000.

Office Depot’s Holiday Survey was conducted by TNS NFO. The company polled a cross section of 2,500 people on Oct. 3-5 with questions about gift giving and receiving during the holidays.