Grill sales sizzle for dad’s day

Area retailers report items for man cave also popular

6/14/2013

It appears area offspring have been doing their best this week to make sure dear old dad feels the love Sunday.

According to area retailers, sales have been brisk this week for Father’s Day gifts that will enhance dad’s outdoor deck, his garden, and even his “man cave.”

“Grills — it’s the best they’ve been selling in the last 10 years,” said Tim Oswald, manager of the Do-It-Best Hardware in Lambertville.

“A lot of people are buying the Weber grills. That’s been a very popular item,” said Mr. Oswald, adding that the $400 to $1,000 price tags have been no impediment for gift buyers this week.

Meanwhile, at the Appliance Center Home Store in Maumee, outdoor grill have been hugely popular this year, store manager Ken Wanemacher said.

“Recliners and outdoor grills have been the two big items for Father’s Day this week,” Mr. Wanemacher said. “We do predelivery here, but we’ve had a lot of people just picking up these items and walking out the door with them.”

Also big sellers this week at the Maumee appliance and home furniture and furnishings store: TVs, lawnmowers, and air conditioning units to cool off dad’s man cave, Mr. Wanemacher said.

The National Retail Federation in Washington said its surveys indicate the average person will spend $119.84 on gifts for dad this year, up from $117.14 last year. All told, spending for Father’s Day is expected to reach $13.3 billion, up nearly 5 percent from last year’s total of $12.7 billion.

According to the federation’s survey data, about $2.5 billion will be spent on a special outing for dad, such as a sporting event, a dinner, or a round of golf.

Another $1.7 billion will be spent on electronic gadgets, such as a computer table or a GPS system, and $1.8 billion will be spent on clothing. Another $1.8 billion will be spent on a personal practical gift, $755 million on gardening or home improvement tools, $710 million on sporting goods, $707 million on personal care items, and $592 million on auto accessories.

Al Luna, manager of the Buckeye Store and More in Sylvania, said that when the sports allegiances of area dads are weighed, it appears no one team dominates.

This week, the store has sold a lot of Ohio State-related items, but Mr. Luna added that a comparable amount of University of Michigan, University of Toledo, and Michigan State University items also have been sold.

“We’ve sold everything from grill covers to T-shirts, and just in the last week we’ve just about sold out of all of our golf stuff for UT, OSU, UM, and MSU,” he said.

“T-shirts are always big sellers, and wallets too. But people have even come in looking for pictures to give dads something to hang on the walls of their man caves.”

Contact Jon Chavez at: jchavez@theblade.com or 419-724-6128.