2023年经济学人 圣诞节送礼的低效性(1)

The inefficiencies of Christmas.

圣诞节的低效性。

'Tis the season to be jolly - and to feign¹ delight at disappointing Christmas presents.

这是一个充满欢乐，还要在收到令人失望的圣诞礼物时假装高兴的节日季节。

The average British adult splurged around ￡550 ($667) on gifts in 2021, according to one survey.

根据一项调查，2021年，英国成年人在礼物上的平均花费约为550英镑（即667美元）。

But a back-of-the-envelope calculation by Ian Stewart of Deloitte, a consultancy, suggests that the volumes of unwanted stuff in effect destroyed around ￡3bn of the ￡25bn value.

但德勤咨询公司的伊恩·斯图尔特做出的粗略计算表明，250亿英镑的礼物中约30亿英镑都是无用的东西。

Though many see Christmas as a time of generosity² and cheer, others see waste.

尽管许多人认为圣诞节是慷慨送礼，营造幸福氛围的日子，但也有人认为圣诞节送礼就是一种浪费。

A small number study its inefficiencies.

有一小部分人研究了它的低效性。

In 1993 Joel Waldfogel of the University of Minnesota identified a "deadweight loss" when he studied the difference between the cost of seasonal³ gifts and how much their recipients⁴ valued them after they had accounted for exchanges and put sentimental⁵ value aside.

1993年，明尼苏达大学的乔·沃德弗格研究了季节性礼物的价格，礼物接受者在交换礼物，并将礼物的情感价值搁置在一旁后对它的重视程度，以及两者之间的差异，并在研究中发现了一种“无谓的损失”。

Today he says that on average cash spent on another person yields around 85% of the benefit of cash they spend on themselves.

沃德弗格表示，如今平均而言，人们花在别人身上的现金产生的收益约占他们花在自己身上的现金产生收益的85%。

Although gift-giving may make some people happy, it's "a lousy way to allocate⁶ resources," he says.

他说，虽然送礼可能会让一些人感到高兴，但这是“一种糟糕的资源配置方式”。

There are ways to reduce Christmas losses.

有一些方法可以减少圣诞节出现的经济损失。

One is the use of gift cards, which give recipients some choice.

一是使用礼品卡，让礼物接受者自己选择礼物。

But Britons don't seem to like them much.

但英国人似乎不太喜欢这种方式。

A survey of adults from Ipsos, a pollster, found that 43% of Americans, 40% of the French and only 29% of Britons were planning to give them for Christmas 2022.

民调机构益普索集团对成年人进行的一项调查发现，43%的美国人、40%的法国人和仅仅29%的英国人计划在2022年圣诞节送礼品卡。

Making it easier to return unwanted gifts should help.

二是简化退货流程，让人们能够轻松退回不想要的礼物。

Al Gerrie, chief executive officer of ZigZag⁷, a returns platform, says that when a gift message or gift wrap is used in fashion retail⁸ (that is, for a present) return rates tend to be considerably⁹ higher.

退货服务平台Zigzag的首席执行官阿尔·格里表示，时尚零售（即礼物）中，有礼品赠言或礼品包装的，退货率往往会高很多。

As e-commerce has expanded, so too have ways of sending stuff back.

随着电商的发展，退货的方式也在不断变化。

But returns are a headache for retailers¹⁰.

但退货问题很让零售商头疼。

On average it costs between ￡5 and ￡10 to put a product back on the shelves, says Mr. Gerrie, thanks to the shipping¹¹, inspecting and repackaging required.

格里表示，由于需要运输、检验和重新包装，将一款退货产品重新上架的平均成本在5英镑到10英镑之间。

(In January, Father Christmas's elves must conduct "sniff¹² tests" to see if a garment has been worn.)

（在一月份，圣诞老人的精灵们必须进行“嗅觉测试”，检查衣服是不是全新的。）

Increasingly, retailers are charging shoppers to return goods.

越来越多零售商对购物者退货收取费用。

ZigZag's data suggest the number of paid-for returns has more than doubled since last year, while the number of free returns has fallen.

Zigzag的数据显示，自去年以来，付费退货的数量增加超过一倍，而免费退货的数量有所下降。

That, though, may mean more consumers are stuck with unwanted gifts.

然而，这可能意味着有越来越多的消费者无法摆脱无用的礼物。

1 feign   

vt.假装，佯作

参考例句：

• He used to feign an excuse.他惯于伪造口实。
• She knew that her efforts to feign cheerfulness weren't convincing.她明白自己强作欢颜是瞒不了谁的。

2 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

3 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

4 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 sentimental   

adj.多愁善感的，感伤的

参考例句：

• She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人，她相信姻缘命中注定。
• We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。

6 allocate   

vt.分配，分派；把…拨给；把…划归

参考例句：

• You must allocate the money carefully.你们必须谨慎地分配钱。
• They will allocate fund for housing.他们将拨出经费建房。

7 zigzag   

n.曲折，之字形；adj.曲折的，锯齿形的；adv.曲折地，成锯齿形地；vt.使曲折；vi.曲折前行

参考例句：

• The lightning made a zigzag in the sky.闪电在天空划出一道Z字形。
• The path runs zigzag up the hill.小径向山顶蜿蜒盘旋。

8 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

9 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

10 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

11 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

12 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。