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Happy Mother$ Day USA $hoppers$



Will you get your fair share of the $25 billion Americans spend on mother's day this year? Talk about inflation, the expected 2019 increase is expected to be up 8% over last year. Who got even a 4% raise? And our government says inflation is under control!

You might guess it's a big week for flower sales. 1-800-Flowers.com takes in over $71,000,000 in Mother's Day sales! My mother complained about the quality when I ordered flowers online--I don't recall what company I used. She was happier when I got her a plant from a local discount retailer.

Did you plan ahead for a seat at her favorite restaurant? The NRA expects 87,000,000 people to eat at a restaurant for Mother's Day (NRA = National Restaurant Association, I thought I should clear that up).

According to Zillow, nearly 22% of Americans age 23-27 still live with their mothers. I wonder how that's working out.

What about women without children? Hallmark hasn't left them out. At least if they have a pet dog, you can buy a card "from the dog."

When it comes to mother's day spending, it's the third biggest event of the retailer's year--after the Christmas season and back-to-school sales.

My source for lots of the amazing data is James Peltz in the LA Times- see his article for more insights (10 May 2019).

I got my wife tulips-one of her favorite flowers but I couldn't find teal colored ones at my discount retailer. Teal is her favorite color. I did get her a fancy card, but I won't show you in case she reads my blog.

Like many of my age, my mother is gone. I can't help remembering her though. In addition to all the buzz, her birthday was 12 May, which happens to be mother's day this year as it often was in years past. I had a mother for over 60 years, but my wife didn't. I think about that too. It's important to honor those we love while we have them around.

I hope some mother's would be happy if their children or grandchildren paid a visit or made a phone call. Being ignored is probably one of the worst things to do. Still, managing expectations can be challenging when Big Business is out to capitalize on this day of honor.

Oh, if you forgot something, I do have a book to sell. Perhaps you want her to Live Well
Living Well on AMAZON










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