Adam Tate works on a Mother’s Day arrangement Friday, May 6, 2016 at Blue Ivy Flowers.Jennifer Dawn had good luck selling her handmade jewelry Friday at a “pop-up shop” held at Miller Plaza to make it convenient for people who work downtown to shop for Mother’s Day.
“Nobody has shopped, apparently,” said Dawn, owner of Rising Dawn Boutique. “Everybody is in a panic, like – ‘Thank God, you’re here.'”
Jewelry ranks first for Mother’s Day splurging, according to an annual survey by the National Retail Federation. U.S. consumers are expected to spend an average of $172.22 this Mother’s Day, according to the survey, down just a fraction from last year’s record-high of $172.63.
Consumers plan to spend $4.2 billion on jewelry (given by 35.3 percent of shoppers), the survey said, $4.1 billion on special outings such as dinner or brunch (given by 55.2 percent), $2.4 billion on flowers (66.5 percent), $2.2 billion on gift cards (43.2 percent), $1.9 billion respectively on clothing (35.4 percent) and consumer electronics (13.8 percent) and $1.6 billion on personal services, like a day at the spa (22.5 percent).
Mother’s Day cards are the most commonly purchased gift, the survey found, at 78.4 percent of those surveyed – but cards account for only $792 million of the projected spending.