Nine Father's Day gifts you can buy in a hurry
Consumers are expected to spend $14.3 billion on Father鈥檚 Day 2016,聽. That鈥檚 the highest reported figure in the dad-themed survey鈥檚 13-year history.
But while many are planning to splurge on dad this June 19 (at an average of $125.92 each), not everyone will remember to plan ahead.
Didn鈥檛 allow time for an engraved watch or customized shirt? Here are nine last-minute Father鈥檚 Day gifts you can pick up in a jiffy.
A shirt and tie
Unless you have trouble matching solids and stripes, a shirt-and-tie combo is a safe bet this Father鈥檚 Day. Even better? We鈥檙e seeing an abundance of apparel deals in the days leading up to dad鈥檚 special day at places like J.C. Penney, Macy鈥檚 and Kohl鈥檚.
A gift card
Gift cards make giving easy on the giver, but they鈥檙e equally appealing for the recipient. Just ensure you pick a store or restaurant that dad will actually want to go to. And if you can鈥檛 make it to the establishment in person, email a digital gift card directly to the recipient.
Still need inspiration? A 2016 Father鈥檚 Day survey conducted by聽聽found that, for U.S. consumers considering purchasing a gift card this year, the most popular categories for fathers are restaurants (39%), home improvement (28%), sports/outdoor (25%), department stores (23%), electronics (23%) and movies/entertainment (20%).
A day together
If you鈥檙e really running out of time, give dad an experience instead of a present. Greet him on Father鈥檚 Day with a suggestion for an outing. Ask to take him out for lunch, to a movie or a few rounds of golf. Then pick up the tab, of course.
A service
This next one doesn鈥檛 require buying anything at all. Instead, give dad the gift of service. Mow his lawn, wash his car or finish that home improvement project he鈥檚 had lingering for months. Doing something nice for dad costs nothing other than your time.
A delivery
Let someone else do the legwork for you this Father鈥檚 Day. Thanks to delivery websites like聽, you can pick a gift and schedule it to be dropped off on dad鈥檚 porch.
There鈥檚 even a same-day delivery option for select items. Just ensure you order by 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, by 1 p.m. on Saturdays and by 11:30 a.m. on Sundays in your recipient鈥檚 residential time zone.
A plant
Summer is upon us, and that means gardening is, too. Blooming flowers are everywhere, and a potted plant can make a great addition to dad鈥檚 house. Or, for the father with a green thumb, pick an assortment of buds he can plant in his front yard. Try your local hardware store for this living gift.
An edible gift
Plaid shirts and coffee mugs with cheesy jokes can fall flat, but it鈥檚 tough to go wrong with an edible gift. And while you may not be able to pinpoint dad鈥檚 taste in clothing, it鈥檚 safer to assume you know his taste in food. Give dad an assortment of his favorite candy or a collection of barbecue sauces.
A virtual card
Greeting cards are a nice touch for any holiday, but they can be expensive 鈥� and they require an extra trip to the store. Skip the paper card and opt for a virtual one instead. Visit聽, where you can send personalized ecards via email or Facebook, and sign up for a free trial.
A download
Give dad the gift of new聽music for his smartphone, new books for聽his e-reader or fresh apps for聽his iPad. If you don鈥檛 quite know what dad聽would like, a聽Nook or iTunes gift card will give聽him the freedom to decide. Or, if he聽needs a little help managing聽his technology, skip the gift card and offer to make the purchases for him when you see him on Father鈥檚 Day.
Courtney Jespersen is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email:courtney@nerdwallet.com. Twitter:聽.
This article first appeared at .
