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Paul Nelson reportingYou don't have much time to get your mom a present for Mother's Day. Flowers and spa treatments seem to always be well received, but what are some of the gifts you shouldn't buy?
If you haven't bought your mom something special for Mother's Day yet, well, who am I to judge? I haven't, either. But I don't want to be that guy who gives really bad presents, ruining Mother's Day for the people I love and end up in divorce court or out of my parents' will.
I met one woman at Trolley Square who said she no longer exchanges gifts with her husband. After hearing what he bought her once, I'd say that's a good idea.
She said, "[He bought an] ugly green corduroy coat from an old-lady store. You can't forget that."
I asked other ladies if they've ever received anything lame from their loved ones. One said she never gets anything lame, two others said they couldn't remember any thing bad.
These women could be lying.
A recent survey by Shopzilla says 63 percent of women have been disappointed by a bad present. So, other than ugly, green old-lady coats, what should we not give as a gift?
One woman said, "Don't buy any appliances, please, [or] nothing we clean with."
Associated Content says board games, vacuum cleaners and gift certificates are also bad. They also say you should avoid buying anything from Bath and Bodyworks because it shows you didn't put any thought into your gift. But, what do moms really want?
One lady standing next to her son said, "My idea of a good present would be clean bedrooms for a whole week. Clean bedrooms and no arguing for a whole week is my idea of a good present."
Well, that may be fine for some people, but I do not presently live with my mother, so I don't think she'd care if my room is clean. What else can I get her?
One mom said, "The best gift I ever got was an hour massage, a pedicure and my nails done."
This woman may be on to something. The Shopzilla survey says 54 percent of mothers secretly want to be pampered, but they won't tell you.
One thing they will tell you is not to spend too much, and they're serious about it. Eighty-eight percent of those questioned say $100 is far too much to spend. One college student I spoke with said she couldn't afford to get her mom much anyway, so she got her a card.
The survey says most moms would set a cap of about $50.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
