DAYTONA BEACH — Sydney Ladanyi and Katy Jo Waltz were shopping for Father's Day gifts on Thursday at Bass Pro Shops at One Daytona, but the perfect present had so far eluded them.
“I have this taffy and a nice little hat, but we have a lot more store to cover,” said Waltz, 26, an athletic trainer at Daytona State College. “Dads are complicated. It’s hard to shop for them, but I figured we’ve got to be able to find something for them here.”
With its array of fishing, hunting, camping and outdoor gear, Bass Pro Shops is a popular destination for Father’s Day shoppers, said Todd Blanchard, the store’s general manager.
“Father’s Day is big here,” Blanchard said. “It’s the No. 2 shopping event for us, right behind Christmas and Black Friday and all that fourth-quarter business for us.”
Industry observers report that Father’s Day shopping this year will be big throughout Florida.
Statewide, it’s predicted that consumers will spend a near-record average of $133 per person on Father’s Day gifts, down slightly from last year’s record average of $135 per person, according to the Florida Retail Federation, a Tallahassee-based organization that tracks consumer trends and spending.
Nationally, 77 percent of Americans will celebrate Father’s Day by also spending an average of $133 per person, according to survey results presented by the Florida Retail Federation’s partners at the National Retail Federation.
In recent years, Florida shoppers have matched or exceeded the national average for high-profile shopping periods such as Christmas, said James Miller, Florida Retail Federation spokesman.
“There’s no reason for that to be any different for Father’s Day,” Miller said. “Consumer confidence remains extremely high. Unemployment is at a 10-year low and our state’s economy remains strong which means Floridians have more money in their pocket to spend on dad this year.”
This year’s expected total spending nationally of $15.3 billion on Father’s Day would be second only to last year’s $15.5 billion, the highest in the 15-year history of the Father’s Day survey, according to the National Retail Federation. Shoppers between the ages of 25 and 34 will be the biggest spenders this year at an average of $188 per person.
The survey reported that 47 percent of consumers plan to give a “special outing” gift, such as a concert, sports event or dinner. That category represents the largest share of spending at $3.2 billion nationally.
“That’s something we’re seeing more and more,” Miller said, “the shift from traditional retail gifts to an experiential gift, a night-out dinner or a concert or sporting event. People are really trending toward having an experience more than another shirt or a tacky tie for dad.
“We saw it during the holidays and at Mother’s Day, it was the same thing,” Miller said. “People are opting for doing something they can remember and be able to share together for years. “
In the traditional gift realm, Father’s Day shoppers are embracing the trend toward gift cards, a category that accounts for $2.1 billion in spending nationally, the survey states. That trails only the amount expected to be spent on experiential gifts ($3.2 billion) and clothing ($2.2 billion).
“Gift cards are popular no matter what the holiday is,” Miller said.
In other categories, the survey reports that consumers nationally plan to spend $1.8 billion on consumer electronics; $878 million on home improvement supplies; $862 million on personal care products; $844 million on greeting cards; $830 million on tools or appliances; $798 million on sporting goods; $686 million on automotive accessories; and $628 million on books or music.