Mother’s Day spending hits record $38 billion, boosting Dollar General sales

Dollar General’s Mother’s Day rush is less about greeting cards than about labor. When shoppers crowd into stores looking for last-minute gifts, flowers, candy and small add-ons, the work shifts fast for floor teams: more stocking, tighter front-end coverage, cleaner seasonal displays and faster help finding the right low-price bundle.

That pressure is likely to be sharper this year. The National Retail Federation said Mother’s Day spending is expected to reach a record $38 billion, with the average shopper planning to spend $284.25. That is up from $259.04 last year and above the prior record of $274.02 in 2023. The trade group said 84% of U.S. adults planned to celebrate, and the most common recipients are mothers or stepmothers at 54%, followed by wives at 22% and daughters at 13%.

For Dollar General, that mix fits the chain’s core business. The retailer says customers can find Mother’s Day gifts and decor without breaking their budget, and its seasonal assortment includes gifts, decor, wrapping and holiday add-ons year-round. In its fiscal 2025 annual report, Dollar General said shoppers from a wide range of income brackets and life stages appreciate its “attractive value and convenience proposition.” That matters in a holiday built around quick, affordable gift-building, especially in smaller stores where the card rack, seasonal endcap, candy aisle and checkout lane all have to work at once.

The operational challenge is familiar to district leaders and store managers. Mother’s Day shopping tends to come in bursts, often close to the weekend, which means more repeat trips and more questions at the front end. If a local Dollar General is the nearest stop for a card, a vase, wrapping paper or a grab-and-go treat, inventory accuracy and promotional signage become part of the customer service standard. The store that is easiest to shop wins the basket.

Dollar General, founded in 1939 and based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, operated 20,959 stores in fiscal 2025, according to recent reporting on its annual report. That footprint gives the company a wide role in a holiday that still leans heavily on convenience. The NRF has tracked Mother’s Day spending at $35.7 billion in 2023, $33.5 billion in 2024 and $34.1 billion in 2025, before this year’s jump to a new high. For Dollar General workers, the message is straightforward: when holiday demand rises, the store does not just sell more. It asks more from the people keeping the shelves full and the line moving.