Mother’s Day is just around the corner! This year, we’re going out to eat, as will a lot of other people: According to a National Restaurant Association survey, approximately 87 million adults will go out to a restaurant for a special Mother’s Day meal this year.

According to the National Restaurant Association, of those celebrating the day,

  • 34% of adults will dine out
  • 34% of adults plan to have a home-cooked Mother’s Day meal at their homes or someone else’s home
  • 8% of adults plan to order takeout or delivery from a restaurant

Of those going out to eat, nearly half will go out for dinner, while 35% of adults plan on taking their moms to lunch, and 24% will have brunch, according to the National Restaurant Association. Another 11% said they would go out for breakfast.

So, how are you celebrating Mother’s Day? Going out? Staying in? Ordering take out? Let us know!

Gift Giving
Now I have a very strong feeling that I, along with my mother and mother-in-law, will be getting potted plants as gifts from my children. (Their schools just happened to have plant sales this week, LOL.)

And I do love my plants! I know plants and flowers are always popular Mother’s Day gifts. In fact, one-fourth of the flower and plant purchases made for holidays occur at Mother’s Day, according to the Society of American Florists.

According to Prince & Prince’s Mother’s Day 2018 Floral Market Projection report, total U.S. sales of all consumer floral retail purchasing could reach about $4.4 billion this year, a $200 million increase over 2017. The report also projects that this year holiday spending per floral-purchasing household will reach more than $78 on average (including delivery and fees).

No Barcode?
Since I mentioned going out to eat and buying plants and flowers, and these items usually don’t have a barcode, I want to remind all panelists that you can still record these purchases using the Barcode Reference Booklet if you use a handheld scanner, or if you have the NCPMobile App, the Non-Barcoded Items listing in the app.

If you have a scanner:

  • Scan the Floral barcode in the Barcode Reference Booklet to record all of your household’s living plant and flower purchases that do not have a barcode or have a barcode the scanner won’t accept. Do not scan this barcode to record purchases of plant food, potting soil, fake flowers/plants, planting pots, and other items of this nature since these items have a UPC barcode.
  • Scan the Take Out – Home Delivery barcode if you, and/or a member of your household, pre-ordered food from a restaurant/fast food establishment (Chinese food, pizza, etc.) and had it delivered to your home.
  • Scan the Take Out – Pick Up/Eat in barcode if you, and/or a member of your household,ordered food by phone/app or drive thru or inside the establishment for pick up or to eat-in.

If you use the NCPMobile App: 

  • Choose the Floral category in the Non-Barcoded Items list to record all of your household’s living plant and flower purchases that do not have a barcode or have a barcode the app won’t accept. Do not scan choose this category to record purchases of plant food, potting soil, fake flowers/plants, planting pots, and other items of this nature since these items have a UPC barcode.
  • Choose the Take Out-Home Delivery category in the Non-Barcoded Items list if you, and/or a member of your household, pre-ordered food from a restaurant/fast food establishment (Chinese food, pizza, etc.) and had it delivered to your home.
  • Scan the Take Out – Pick Up/Eat in category if you, and/or a member of your household,ordered food by phone/app or drive thru or inside the establishment for pick up or to eat-in.

Have a great weekend!

Not an NCP member yet? If you want to join the panel, just go to join.ncponline.com and sign up!