Poll finds spending on Mother's Day dropping to $138.63 from $139.14 last year

By Patricia Kitchen

May 6, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) --
It appears that cost-conscious consumers have added the holiday honoring mom to the budget chopping block, planning to spend about 51 cents less on Mother's Day gifts this year.

That's chump change, considering that the average spent will be $138.63, down from $139.14 in 2007, according to 6,888 consumers polled last month by BIGresearch for the National Retail Federation. Nearly 14 percent of those polled admitted they plan to spend less this year. But if your child is in the 18- to 24-year-old age group, not to worry: According to the poll, they'll be the big spenders, averaging $170.71 for their Mother's Day gift, up from $137.73 -- fourth out of five age groups -- in 2007.

Indeed, close to 39 percent in this age group said they plan to increase spending this year, compared with just 13.2 percent overall who said that.

With many consumers likely opting for one gift of quality as opposed to several smaller gifts, overall spending projections are "down marginally," said Pam Goodfellow, senior analyst with Worthington, Ohio-based BIGresearch. Of course, there's no accounting for last-minute "spending anxiety" and additional unplanned purchases, she said, as the date approaches (it's this Sunday, in case you forgot) and they feel they haven't done quite enough.

Daniel Lee, 22, who will graduate this spring with a business administration degree from Nassau Community College, said he's getting his mother a photo greeting card and bouquet of lilies for just over $37. That's a far cry from the $300 to $400 he spent in previous years when his parents were living in South Korea, with at least $80 of that going to shipping costs. This year his parents are in New Jersey, where Lee -- who lives in Bayside -- can visit every other week.

Lee said his spending shift is no reflection of how much he values his mom. He's just trying to save as much money as he can because he plans to attend a pricier school in the fall to work on a bachelor's degree.

"I'm cutting down on my expenses," he said.

While Lee keeps a close eye on his cash, others in his age group will be forking more of theirs over. Roberta Schroder, chairwoman of the economics and finance department at Nassau Community College, attributed that to several factors, including a "sense of value based on heavy marketing influences, formative budgeting skills and peer pressure"; a heavy reliance on credit cards, minus the grasp on the reality of repayment; plus their face-to-face proximity to mom on the big day, as many in this age group still live at home.

Put all that together, said Schroder, "and you get a really good Mother's Day gift."

Spending less on Mom? A consumer poll conducted by BIGresearch indicates spending on gifts for Mother's Day will be down compared with last year.

Brunch / dinner

(Last year $3.1 billion)

This year

$3.0 billion

Flowers

(Last year $2.3 billion)

This year

$2.0 billion

Jewelry

(Last year $2.1 billion)

This year

$2.7 billion

Clothes / accessories

(Last year $1.6 billion)

This year

$1.4 billion

Personal service like spas

(Last year $1.3 billion)

This year

$1.1 billion

Consumer electronics

(Last year $747 million)

This year

$1.2 billion

SOURCE: BIGRESEARCH FOR THE NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION

Newstex ID: KRTB-0134-25060483