Fueling the perception that shopping for men is harder than pushing boulders uphill, an online survey finds that women are more likely than men to buy their spouse or partner a gift card for the holidays.
    But if female readers have exhausted their holiday gift ideas for ties/golf balls/soap-on-a-rope/insert-male-gift-he re, they may want to think twice before making the effortless choice of a gift card. 
    That’s because, according to the Biz Rate Research survey for Shopzilla.com to be released this week, men are twice as likely than women to consider gift cards an impersonal substitute for a real, tangible gift.
    Confusing the issue even further, the survey — which polled more than 1,000 online buyers — found that 40 percent of Web shoppers said they prefer to receive gift cards over actual gifts.
    Overwhelmed? The Mayo Clinic has compiled a list of 12 tips to cope with the holidays — including one that will strike fear into the hearts of retailers: “Don’t try to buy happiness with an avalanche of gifts.”