MIAMI (NewsNation) — Inflation may be up, but it’s not stopping Americans from celebrating their mothers on Sunday. This year, consumers are expected to spend $3 billion more than last year, and the most popular item will be flowers.
From lilacs to roses, nearly every flower in your favorite bouquet comes through Miami International Airport. It has the largest FedEx hub for flower imports, with one million stems or 300,000 boxes daily.
Before these arrangements make it to your loved ones, they’re loaded off planes and into the FedEx cold room, then inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents, trained to look for pests or diseases. This year, agents have been working around the clock to meet the high flower demand for this Mother’s Day.
It’s not just the flower industry that’s blooming. According to a National Retail Federation’s Consumer survey, approximately 84% of Americans will celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend and spend more money than last year.
Seventy-two percent of consumers will give the traditional Mother’s Day bouquet, but 41% will gift their moms jewelry, and 27% will share experiences like brunch, a concert or a sporting event.
This totals $31.7 billion in spending this Mother’s Day — $3 billion more than last year’s record high.
Aside from the monetary value, another top priority this year after the last two years of COVID-19 is quality; nearly half of consumers are giving gifts where they can spend time together and make unique memories.
