What do Teachers Really Want this Holiday Season? No Undergarments or Animals, Please
OfficeMax Teacher Survey Unveils Odd Gifts from Seasons Past and What Teachers Would Really Like to Receive This Holiday Season
NAPERVILLE, Ill., Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Not sure what to buy your
favorite teacher this year? Avoid coffee mugs, candy and candles a recent
survey finds. OfficeMax Incorporated (NYSE: OMX), a leader in office products
and services, conducted a nationwide online poll of more than 750 teachers to
learn what they would prefer for holiday gifts this season. At the top of the
list are restaurant and retail gift cards and key classroom supplies.
More than 50 percent of the 786 teachers who responded said that they
prefer a gift card to a restaurant or a school/office supply retailer.
Thirty-seven percent said that they would prefer school or classroom supplies.
Of that 37 percent, dry ease markers tops the list of the top five classroom
supplies teachers would like to receive followed by learning games and
puzzles, arts & craft supplies, pencils and pens.
The survey also found that the top items teachers get too much of include
coffee mugs, candy and candles. The most bizarre holiday gifts teachers
reported receiving include used clothing, undergarments, half-filled bottles
of perfume, half-eaten candy, live animals, insects or game meat.
A majority of teachers stated that they don't expect to receive gifts and
are simply happy to receive any gift from their students. In fact, many simply
prefer a holiday card, thank-you note or a hug. OfficeMax suggests this year
parents consider donations to local teachers through
http://www.adoptaclassroom.org, where teachers can apply funds to their
individual classroom needs.
Teachers spend approximately $4 billion of their own money every year on
basic school supplies. OfficeMax has teamed with Adopt-A-Classroom to bring
community-level support to teachers through the annual 'A Day Made Better'
campaign (http://www.adaymadebetter.com).
About OfficeMax
OfficeMax Incorporated (NYSE: OMX) is a leader in both
business-to-business office products solutions and retail office products. The
OfficeMax mission is simple. We help our customers do their best work. The
company provides office supplies and paper, in-store print and document
services through OfficeMax ImPress(R), technology products and solutions, and
furniture to consumers and to large, medium and small businesses. OfficeMax
customers are served by more than 30,000 associates through direct sales,
catalogs, e-commerce and more than 1,000 stores. To find the nearest
OfficeMax, call 1-877-OFFICEMAX. For more information, visit
http://www.officemax.com/.
