Long Islanders choose to gift 'memories,' splurge on experiences 

Stocking stuffers are out. Experiences are in.

As many as four in 10 consumers plan to purchase an intangible gift or experience on Black Friday and throughout the holiday season, according to a report by the NPD Group, a Port Washington-based market research firm.

Topping the list of experiences consumers plan to buy as gifts are food and beverage ones like tickets to wine tastings and food festivals, tickets to music and sporting events, and gift cards for spa treatments and travel.

But experience purchases run the gamut from season passes to amusement parks like Adventureland and Splish Splash, to sushi-making and cooking lessons, and more intimate experiences like sexy boudoir-style photoshoots and pole dancing classes.

"The days of getting that same old sweater and being done with it are over," said retail expert Marshal Cohen, a chief industry adviser for the NPD Group.

"People don't want to gift the same old. They want gifts that will enrich the lives of their friends and relatives, create a special memory, create that 'selfie moment', a spa date, a travel excursion, that's what's driving so much of consumer purchase process right now."

Bellmore resident Kes Sullivan, 34, said she and her husband love listening to live music.

On Black Friday, she plans to scour websites like Ticketmaster.com in search of discounted concert tickets for future date nights.

"What's even better is that we're going away to Dominican Republic for the holidays," she said. "And thanks to a Black Friday sale, I'm saving 20 percent off the swim-with-the-dolphins experience that I'm giving to each of my two kids as a Christmas present."

Sullivan said her children have enough video games and lego sets to shelve a small toy store.

"I want what I give them to be much more special," she said; "something we can do together as a family and that they can look back at one day and say 'Wow, that was such an amazing memory.' "

Businesses like the Long Island Explorium Children's Museum in Port Jefferson and Just Escape, an escape room amusement center in Massapequa, are capitalizing on the experiential gift trend by offering their own Black Friday sales in-store and online.

The Explorium is running a one-day-only buy one, get one 50 percent off deal on museum memberships, while Just Escape is giving customers who spend $100 on gift certificates a $25 gift card.

"It's the first time that we're running a Black Friday special," Explorium executive director Angeline Judex said.

"We thought we'd get in on the fun and provide this great option for parents too, something you don't have to walk into the mall for. Products break or become outdated but a gift like this lasts a lifetime."

Christina Vincent, 33, of Floral Park, said after noticing how much fun her daughter had at Trolls The Experience in New York City — a gift from grandma that she says her 3-year-old often raves about — she realized experiences were the way to go for the holidays this year.

She now plans to spend about $500 on experiences, from paint nights to bowling, for 15 family members.

"The key is to spend less on stuff," she said. "And more on what really matters, creating memories together."