HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — From flowers to brunches, families throughout the Tampa Bay Area will find different ways to celebrate the important women in their lives this weekend. That’s as experts anticipate people to spend big for Mother’s Day this year.
“They carry us for nine months, and they love us so very much,” said Shelsey Ramos. “I feel like they need to be appreciated honestly every day.”
Ramos is making it a top priority to have Mother’s Day be extra special.
“We’re going to go to the beach, spend some time at the Hurricane, watch the sunset, and spend all day with her,” said Ramos.
The National Retail Federation said people plan to spend $35.7 billion on Mother’s Day this year. That’s nearly $4 billion more than last year’s record high, according to an annual survey.
The top gifts are flowers, greeting cards, and special outings like dinner or brunch.
“We’ve been taking orders since last month,” said Sharon Smith, owner of the Potting Shed in Tampa.
Inflation is still impacting families and how they balance their spending. For example, Smith said flowers are a lot more expensive nowadays.
“It’s a dilemma because people say what, Sharon? And I said I know; when’s the last time you filled your tank up? When’s the last time you went to the grocery store? And flowers have also increased, but we’re trying to keep as low as we can and still make it beautiful,” said Smith.
The National Retail Federation said that rather than passing on gift giving, people seeing those higher prices have become more value-driven and are taking advantage of things like sales and promotions, even cutting back in other areas to ensure mom still has her special day.
“I feel like people want to go above and beyond for their moms. They want to show that extra appreciation, and I think they deserve it,” said Ramos.
