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Pattie Lovett-Reid

Chief Financial Commentator, CTV

|Archive

When it comes to Mother’s Day, spare no expense – that seems to be public consensus.  But Father’s Day is a different story, according to a recent survey by RetailMeNot.

Father’s Day, which falls on June 18 this year, usually doesn’t get as big an acknowledgement as Mother’s Day. Almost three-quarters of those surveyed agree that Mother’s Day celebrations outshine Father’s Day, and half of those surveyed don’t think their dad cares about celebrating at all. 

Furthermore, only 40 per cent of Canadians surveyed think their dad would be upset if they forgot to celebrate Father’s Day altogether. To top it all off, the cost margin for celebrating Father’s Day is just $136 on the entire experience, almost $50 less than what Canadians will spend for their moms.

Gifts for dads can be tricky. But don’t buy him socks this Father’s Day. Chances are, he has enough pairs already. A nice meal out and time with the family top the list for what parents on Father’s Day want to be gifted, according to a recent poll by Ebates.ca.

  • On average, Canadians spend $54 on Father’s Day gifts.
  • As we saw last year, Canadians still say they have a harder time shopping for Father’s Day gifts versus Mother’s Day gifts.
  • When shopping for Father’s Day, Canadians say they consider cost (35 per cent), practicality (30 per cent) and uniqueness (29 per cent) the most.
  • Gift certificates (38 per cent) are the most popular gift for holidays like Father’s Day, followed by a meal out (33 per cent). 
  • Parents say that for Father’s Day they would most like to be gifted a meal out (34 per cent) and time with family (34 per cent).

Meanwhile, in the U.S., Americans are spending a record amount on Father’s Day gifts this year, a survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF) found, hitting a 15-year high of US$14.3 billion. Some 77 per cent of Americans celebrate Father’s Day, according to the study, and the amount of money consumers spend on the holiday has increased each year consistently over the last decade.