Mother’s Day spending expected to break record in Nevada

Nevadans are expected to set a record for spending on gifts and experiences to celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday.

The Retail Association of Nevada estimates that spending in the state will reach $509.9 million, up about 14 percent from the previous record in 2021 of $447.7 million, based on information from an annual survey conducted by the National Retail Federation.

In fact, consumer spending for the holiday has increased year-to-year since 2018, according to the survey.

“Nevada’s likely to reach this record due to still buoyed consumer confidence, the residual effects of the federal stimulus and wage increases that we’ve seen since the pandemic started,” said Bryan Wachter, senior vice president of RAN. “Consumer confidence remains high as we approach the first major holiday of the spring.”

Nationwide, the survey found 84 percent of consumers plan to celebrate the holiday, spending on average $245.76 on jewelry, flowers, special outings and other gifts. The National Retail Federation expects U.S. spending to reach $31.7 billion, up nearly 13 percent from 2021.

In Nevada, consumers are projected to spend $16.2 million on greeting cards — the most popular gift. Flowers are also a high-demand gift and are projected to generate $46.6 million in sales. Special outings — such as family brunches or other activities — may generate as much as $84.9 million in consumer spending.

Still, most Nevadans don’t plan to break the bank for mom’s gifts, according to digital banking platform Monifi.com. It projects that half of Nevadans will spend under $100, while 21.4 percent will spend between $100 and $500 and another 21.4 percent will spend more than $1,000.

Michelle Jones’ floral shop, Flowers by Michelle, is expecting to fulfill about 1,000 orders between Friday and Sunday, she said. Most popular are the spring mixes of tulips and hydrangeas, which typically cost about $85.

The Las Vegas business kept steady during most points of the pandemic as flowers were an accessible gift to give from afar, she said. The most notable ongoing issue is delayed shipping and backlogs of flowers and giftware, though that has alleviated some.

“I have been cautiously optimistic,” Jones said. “I definitely always want to stay positive and so far things are looking positive, so we hope that continues. In our giftware lines, we’re starting to see that the shipments are coming in and not as backlogged as they have been in the past so we hope that continues to lighten up.”

Optimistic retailers

Such an attitude is typical among retailers at this moment, Wachter said.

“Retailers continue to be optimistic as we enter the summer months yet are proceeding cautiously to balance consumer demand and rising costs due to inflation and periodic production disruptions across the globe,” he said.

At Marche Bacchus French Bistro and Wine Shop, the Summerlin-area restaurant is preparing for a busy Sunday.

Co-owner Jeff Wyatt said they’ve booked about 400 reservations for brunch and 250 for dinner. It’s offering a price-fixed menu from a two-star Michelin chef at $75 per person for brunch and $95 per person for dinner.

Assuming most show up, Wyatt said the restaurant in Desert Shores is expecting record revenue and about double the number of parties served for Mother’s Day 2021.

“People still weren’t as comfortable as they are now,” Wyatt said.

He’s bullish about this weekend. The restaurant was packed for Easter this year — a good comparison point for other spring holiday spending — and broke revenue records then, Wyatt said.

Despite the good business, Wyatt isn’t going as far as saying those spending habits are here to stay for the rest of the year. He said he’s concerned that inflation will cut into customers’ discretionary spending but is also aware of the desires of many people to behave like it’s the pre-pandemic era.

“At the same time, people want to be out and about,” Wyatt said. “They’ll be using those dollars more for that, at least from our perspective.”

McKenna Ross is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Contact her at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on Twitter.