May 3, 2008

Mother’s Day expected to trigger spendingBy Kerry Fehr-SnyderAZCentral.com

The gloomy economy will cast a shadow over gift-giving this Mother’s Day, a national retail study predicts.

With just over a week to go until the holiday, merchants in the Southeast Valley are urging shoppers not to shortchange the woman who gave you life or the mother of your children.

Is there a nicer way to spend those “economic stimulus” checks while also helping the local economy?

“Mothers are there for us every single day of the year. So we really want to take care of her on Mother’s Day,” said Suzanne Victor, marketing manager for Arrowhead Towne Center in Glendale.

Victor serves on the Westcor Style Panel, which is pushing several Mother’s Day gift ideas. Not surprisingly, many of the panel’s hot gifts are sold at shops in Westcor’s 14 malls, including those in Glendale, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert and Casa Grande.

A recent survey by the National Retail Federation found that most consumers will spend an average of $138.63 this year, compared to $139.14 last year on Mother’s Day.

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