Buick Claims to Solve Age-Old Dilemma: Where to Hide Xmas Gifts

(Bloomberg) -- Buick says its new luxury SUV has solved a problem that’s flummoxed parents for generations -- where to hide the Christmas gifts.

Sure the 2019 Enclave, which at $53,000 boasts a V-6 engine and the “highest expression of Buick luxury,” but what really matters is hidden -- on purpose. The SUV has loads of gift-stashing spots with “more than 3.75 cubic feet of hidden storage compartments” that are ideal to conceal plenty of toys, Buick said in a press release. That includes a large cargo hold under the rear of the vehicle plus a center console with a “false floor,” according to the company.

Buick, a division of General Motors Co., contends this is neither a gimmick, nor solution in search of a problem. To legitimize just how big of an issue it’s taking on, the company commissioned polling on the matter. It’s survey, conducted by The Harris Poll, found that 82 percent of the 1,000 parents queried said they have to find new hiding spots for gifts each year. And 60 percent of those who hadn’t used their vehicle as a hiding place before said they would if it had more storage.

Blogosphere

A quick web search reveals that gift hiding has been thoroughly dissected by bloggers and parenting websites. There are YouTube videos and local TV news segments. Posts such as “Best Places to Hide Gifts That Really Work” are abundant. Blogger Rachel Lynn writes on her site, Queen Bee of Honey Dos, to forget the underwear drawer and think about inside luggage, at a friend’s house or your office. But more than anything she recommends getting inside a kid’s head, even hiding presents in his or her closet.

“When kids go on the hunt for presents, they never look in their own room,” Lynn writes. “You can take advantage of that.”

Maybe Buick is onto something. Lynn, a mother of two from Tennessee, also mentions cars as an ideal hiding spot -- although she points out that many SUVs fall short in this regard.

“If you are really concerned about your gifts being found, you can always take them with you wherever you go,” she writes. “Hide them in the trunk of your car. If you have an SUV, this may not work, because the trunk is open for viewing.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Matt Townsend in New York at mtownsend9@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anne Riley Moffat at ariley17@bloomberg.net, Virginia Van Natta

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