Consumers plan to spend a total of $35.7 billion on Mother’s Day, May 12, nearly $4 billion more than last year’s record high of $31.7 billion, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. Eighty-four percent of U.S. adults are expected to celebrate the holiday.
“Mother’s Day provides Americans with an opportunity to honor important women in their lives,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “As people make plans to celebrate this year, retailers are prepared to help shoppers find gifts of appreciation and admiration for those they want to recognize on this special day.”
Consumers are projected to shell out $274.02 per person, the highest in the history of the survey and up from the previous record high of $245.76 in 2022. The top spenders are those ages 35 to 44, who plan to spend an average of $382.26 on Mother’s Day.
Of those celebrating the day, most (57%) are purchasing gifts for a mother or stepmother, followed by a wife (23%) or daughter (12%). As seen in previous years, the most popular gifts are flowers (74%), greeting cards (74%) and special outings such as brunch or dinner (60%). Consumers are slated to spend a total of $7.8 billion on jewelry, $5.6 billion on special outings and $4 billion on electronics, mainly online and at department stores (tied with 34% of shoppers each). Everyone seems to want a piece of the Mother’s Day pie, with Bloomingdale’s White Plains hosting a Mother’s Day Fragrance Event on Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11, while designer Alex Soldier is featuring a collection of star-studded jewels, with 20% of proceeds through Tuesday, May 14, going to Enduring Hearts (when customers use code “Enduring Hearts” at checkout) to improve the quality of life and longevity for children with heart transplants.
On the dining-out front, Waccabuc’s Jean-Georges Vongerichten is celebrating Mother’s Day at his various area restaurants while also offering a limited-edition box of 12 chocolates ($58). Other restaurants with special Mother’s Day menus include Apropos at the Abbey Inn & Spa in Peekskill, Goosefeather in Tarrytown, Red Hat on the River in Irvington, Tony’s at The J House Greenwich and The Cottage in Greenwich and Westport. Meanwhile, spas like those at the Delamar Hotels in Greenwich, Southport and West Hartford are celebrating mom with a Mother’s Day package available for bookings made throughout May. Those booking a Delamar Manual Lift and Remodeling Facial can also get one for their mothers, or mother figures, at 50% off with the code MOTHERSDAY24 at checkout.
The Delamar West Hartford also has a “Gilmore Girls”-Inspired Getaway Package for fans of the Nutmeg State-flavored mother-daughter TV series, while the Bedford Playhouse, Clive Davis Arts Center, will feature brunch items in its Playhouse Café Mother’s Day as it screens “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961) at noon. It is a poignant adaptation of Truman Capote’s novella that nonetheless has been rightly criticized for outdated elements, including a stereotyped depiction of Japanese Americans.
