Almost half of shoppers (44%) plan to spend between $100 and $500 this holiday season and 29% intend to spend from $500 to $1,000. Consumer spending intentions over the holidays are slightly higher than in 2006, when 42% of consumers planned to spend between $100 and $500 on gifts, and 26% planned to spend from $500 to $1,000. 17% of respondents ages 18 to 24 said that money was no object. This is significantly higher than the majority of age groups interviewed, including 25 to 34 year olds (3%), 35 to 44 year olds (4%), 45 to 54 year olds (3%), and 55 to 64 year olds (1%). 22% said they think and plan for the gifts they’ll purchase this holiday season all year round. At 27%, significantly more female respondents than male respondents (17%) think and plan for holiday gifts throughout the year. When asked on whom they anticipate spending the most this holiday season, 55% of respondents said children. 15% said a spouse, while 11% said their mother. Friends and fathers came in at 3 and 2%, respectively. At 22%, significantly more male respondents said they would spend the most on their spouse, compared to female respondents at 10%. 55% of respondents plan to purchase a gift card for someone this holiday season. The same number said that they would be thrilled if they received a general purpose gift card, which would allow them to buy anything they want. When asked to indicate all the places they prefer to shop this holiday season, 60% of respondents said department stores, while an equal share said discount stores. 37% said they preferred specialty stores, while 34% said they preferred to shop online.