A recent national Retail Federation Survey found that nearly 72 percent of Americans plan on celebrating Father’s Day this year, according to a report in the Orlando Business Journal.
And shoppers expect to spend an average of $99.65 this year—more than two dollars more than they spent on Mother’s Day. It is the first time in the 3-year-old survey for Father’s Day spending to surpass that on Mother’s Day.
Just under 45 percent of folks plan on giving Dad a card, 22 percent to take him out for dinner and 20 percent to buy clothes. Fifteen percent said they will give home improvement or gardening tools or appliances. About 14 percent are opting for gift certificates and 12 percent are handing Dad either music or books.
Women will spend more than men. The average woman plans to spend $101.38 for Father’s Day, while men will spend an average $70.89. That is in part because many women plan on buying for both their husbands and their own fathers.
Those in the 25 to 44 age range will be the biggest spenders, with an average spending of $130.
Dads are gaining popularity in terms of spending patterns by loved ones. In 2001, consumers planned to spend just $52.30 on Father’s Day.
But the increased spending on gifts still leaves Dad with one bill to foot—the phone bill. Father’s Day is traditionally the No. 1 day of the year for collect phone calls.
Jack McMaster, AT&T product management director, said in a news release that year after year the trend is the same.
“It’s probably been happening since Father’s Day was first celebrated informally, some 70 years ago,” McMaster said.
Brenda Wall, a family psychologist in Dallas, explained that children relate differently to parents based on their gender and roles in the family.
“We’ve always looked to Mom for love and nurturing,” Wall said. “But when we look to Dad, it’s usually a business transaction or something that relates to power, positioning, or money.”
Father’s Day ranks third behind Mother’s Day and Christmas in terms of all holiday calling.
While many presume Father’s Day to have been invented by the modern greeting card industry, its observance actually dates back to the early 20th century. The first known Father’s Day was held June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Wash. President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father’s Day in 1924, and President Lyndon Johnson signed a proclamation declaring the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day in 1966.
Jodi Mathews is news writer for EthicsDaily.com.
