The Joplin Globe: Fair Warning: Mother's Day is on its Way

May 1, 2006 -- Today is the day shoppers wake up and realize it's time to make the mad dash to get that gift for Mom on Mother's Day, which is Sunday.

It's amazing, but www.ShopLocal.com, a provider of in-store sale information and e-commerce options for retailers, predicts that today is the day when consumers will scramble to find quick, last-minute gifts. The prediction is based on a record of consumer behavior before Mother's Day.

"Mother's Day sneaks up on people," said Eva Yusa, a shopping expert with ShopLocal. "It's springtime. People get busy around the house, and all of a sudden you wake up and realize you need to find a gift for Mom."

How does Mother's Day stack up when compared with other gift-giving holidays? Well, the impact is huge. According to the National Retail Federation, consumers spent $11.4 billion in 2005 on Mother's Day gifts. Overall, Mother's Day is the third most lucrative retail holiday of the year, after Christmas and Valentine's Day.

So, you have been given a five-day warning that Mother's Day is coming. If you wait till Saturday night to shop, it's not my fault.

Speaking of Mother's Day, I would like to take this opportunity to say that I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have a mom like mine.