Taylor Swift has just released a song about her mother called "The Best Day." The touching video is out just it time for Mother's Day and was made using Taylor's home videos. Taylor was sure a cute baby.
Australian Victoria's Secret model Miranda Kerr visits a Victoria Secret's flagship store in New York City with her mom and shares some Mother's Day gift ideas. Miranda says some past gifts she has given her mother for Mother's Day include some poetry she wrote just for mom and a mug she decorated for her mom. Miranda says, "I couldn't ask for a better mother." Take a look:
TCBY Giving Away Free Yogurt to Moms on Mother's Day
Frozen yogurt chain TCBY is saying "Happy Mother's Day" this Mother's Day by giving away free cups or cones to moms at participating stores nationwide. For the second year in a row, TCBY will open its doors to celebrate moms on Mother's Day with a sweet tribute to the women we all love. TCBY says its yogurt is low in fat and calories, when compared to ice cream, and contains live, active cultures (probiotics), which can help with digestion.
"We had so much fun celebrating Mother's Day last year with the free cup or cone giveaway that we wanted to do it again," said Steve Willes, Director of Marketing at TCBY. "Moms have been our most loyal customers for over 27 years, and we feel this is a sweet and simple way for us to say thank you."
Study Forecasts Mother's Day Spending to Fall Over 10%
The National Retail Federation new study conducted by BIGresearch has found that Mother's Day spending is expected to fall by over 10%. The NRF says Americans will spend an average of $123.89 per person, compared to last year's $138.63. Mother's Day is Sunday, May 10, 2009.
Phil Rist, an executive vice president at BIGresearch, says, "No one will forgo celebrating Mother's Day because of the bad economy, but they will put careful thought into what they buy and how much they spend. Moms will understand that kids may be spending on a budget, so inexpensive, personal gifts will go a long way."
Of the four in five Americans (83.3%) who will celebrate Mother’s Day, the majority will focus on the women with whom they are closest. Most people (62.4%) will purchase gifts for their mother/stepmother or wife (21.7%) and scale back on gifts for daughters (8.8% vs. 9.4% in 2008), friends (6.8% vs. 7.1% in 2008) and godmothers (1.6% vs. 2.1% in 2008) in order to save some money.
"Retailers understand that people are on strict budgets, even for important holidays," said NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin. "Budget-friendly gift ideas will abound this Mother’s Day: discounted digital cameras, books and apparel still show mom how much she is appreciated."
The majority of people (66.8%) will buy flowers for mom, spending a total of $1.9 billion on those purchases. Slightly more than half (54.8%) will treat mom to a special outing such as dinner or brunch, for a total of $2.7 billion. Other comonly purchased items include jewelry, gift cards, clothing, fashion accessories, books, cds and spa gifts.
Land's End has a very cute idea for Mother's Day: the Artwork Tote bag. We love Land's End totes for their durability and multiplicity of sizes they come in. Now you can upload your favorite photo and put it on the bag. It's a great project for the kids to give to Mom (Dad, an older sibling or a caring aunt will have to step in with the emailing the photo and paying part, of course).
The totes start at $34.50. You can go to LandsEnd.com
and it explains how to do it. It's easy and if you order by April 28th, it will make it to mom by Mother's Day.
Mother's Day is fast approaching: it's this Sunday, May 13th. We really like this promotion that Best Buy is doing: it's a gift set available only in stores (not online) that combines a 4gb Apple iPod Nano with chocolates meltaways. The set comes in a groovy polka-dot gift box and is exclusive to Best Buy. The Nano comes with earbuds and a USB connector cable for synching with your computer (and iTunes, of course). It retails for $214.99. The iPods come in either pink or silver.
Although you can't buy it online, you can see all the tech specs at
BestBuy.com
Come to think of it, this would make a great gift for just about anyone, really. We think any college or high school graduate would be thrilled with this gift. And, of course, a pre-paid iTunes card would be most appreciated, especially if the recipient doesn't already own an iPod or other mp3 player.
So, how do your Mother's Day plans stack up to everyone else's?
According to the NRF 2006 Mother’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey (one of the wordiest survey titles we've seen in awhile), Mother's Day spending is expected to reach $13.8 billion. The average person plans to spend $122.16 on mom, which us up from last year's average of $104.63.
The study also found that high prices at the gas pumps will not deter purchases of luxury gifts. Consumers planning to surprise mom with a trip to the spa or a massage will spend a total of $928 million, compared to last year’s $644 million. Those planning to splurge on jewelry will spend a total of $2.1 billion compared to $1.7 billion in 2005. Treating mom to a special outing such as brunch or dinner will cost consumers a total of $2.8 billion, up from $2.2 billion last year.
"On Mother’s Day, moms across the country will reap the benefits of having one of the hardest jobs in the world," said NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin. "Regardless of age or income, most people enjoy showering mom with lavish and thoughtful gifts to show their appreciation."
Other popular items include flowers (67.6%), greeting cards (85.4%), gift certificates or gift cards (31.9%), electronics or computer related accessories (6.7%) and books and CDs (25.8%).
One explanation for an increase in spending could be that people are celebrating "all the moms they know" on this special day. Shoppers will also make sure to pick up something for their wife (20.7%), daughter (9.1%), grandmother (8.5%), sister (7.0%), friend (7.0%) and other relatives (12.3%).
Not surprisingly, men will spend more than women with the average man expected to drop at least $148.51 on mom, compared to women who are expected to spend $97.72.
Another spending surge can be attributed to young adults, ages 18-24, who are expected to spend an average of $142.40 per person, compared to last year’s $96.08. The 45-54 year old age group comes in second at an average of $129.29 per person, followed by the 25-34 year olds ($122.39).
"Consumers certainly enjoy splurging on luxury items such as fancy meals and jewelry, but greeting cards and flowers still remain favorite tokens of their appreciation," said Phil Rist, Vice President of Strategy at BIGresearch. "No price tag is too high when it comes to showing mom the love and appreciation she deserves."
Greeting card/gift stores, jewelers, florists and electronics stores will be the favorite place to shop this year for gifts of all kinds, with 38.2 percent of consumers preferring specialty stores over other traditional places such as department stores (29.2%), discount stores (25.6%), online shopping (16.9%), specialty clothing stores (5.0%) and catalog shopping (3.4%).
Whatever your plans are for Mother's day, please do not print out and give to mom the horrific Mother's Day article by the New York Times in which it debunks just about every comforting myth about mothering there is.
The National Retail Federation new study conducted by BIGresearch has found that Mother's Day spending is expected to fall by over 10%. The NRF says Americans will spend an average of $123.89 per person, compared to last year's $138.63. Mother's Day is Sunday, May 10, 2009.
Mother's Day is fast approaching: it's this Sunday, May 13th. We really like this promotion that Best Buy is doing: it's a gift set available only in stores (not online) that combines a 4gb Apple iPod Nano with chocolates meltaways. The set comes in a groovy polka-dot gift box and is exclusive to Best Buy. The Nano comes with earbuds and a USB connector cable for synching with your computer (and iTunes, of course). It retails for $214.99. The iPods come in either pink or silver.
