The National Retail Federation put out its annual Father's Day spending survey, and the headline number is this: Americans are expected to spend $27.9 billion on Father's Day this year. That is a new record, up from $24 billion in 2025.

Father's Day is June 21. That is six days from today.

If you run a retail shop - or any kind of small business that sells gifts, experiences, food, or anything else someone might give a father - this week is one of your last real opportunities to capture some of that spending. Here is what the data says and exactly what to do with it.

The Numbers

The NRF survey, conducted among 7,914 consumers in late April and early May, found:

• $27.9 billion in total projected Father's Day spending - an all-time record
• $226.58 average per person, up from $199.38 in 2025 - a 14% increase year-over-year
• 77% of consumers plan to celebrate Father's Day this year
• 44% say it is most important to find a gift that is unique or different
• 34% want a gift that creates a special memory
• 31% plan to give an experience gift - a class, outing, or activity
• 45% are interested in gifting a subscription box

The categories showing the biggest gains in planned spending: electronics and personal care items. The NRF's EVP of Strategy Phil Rist said shoppers are gravitating toward "practical and popular gifts, especially products that help make his life easier."

The Small Business Angle

Here is the number that matters most to you: In 2025, small and local businesses were among the few retail outlets to see year-over-year increases in Father's Day shopping traffic, while major chains and department stores saw declines.

The reason is exactly what the NRF data is describing. Shoppers who want something "unique or different" - that 44% - are not going to find it at a big-box store. They are looking at the boutique with the curated gift wall, the outdoor gear shop with the fly-fishing starter kit, the local kitchen store with the grill accessories. They are looking for something that says "I thought about you specifically," not "I grabbed this on my lunch break."

That is your competitive advantage. Use it.

What to Do This Week

Today, if you do nothing else: Send an email to your customer list. Subject line something like "Six Days Until Father's Day - Gift Ideas Inside." Keep it short. Show your three or four most giftable products with a direct link to buy or come in. Include your hours. That email will drive more revenue than any social post this week, because the people on your list already trust you.

If you have not already, update your Google Business Profile. Father's Day weekend shoppers search "gifts for dad near me" and "men's shop open Sunday." If your hours are not updated and your photos are outdated, you are invisible to them. Takes ten minutes.

Create a "Gifts for Dad" section. In your physical store: a dedicated table or display with items grouped and priced. Online: a landing page or collection filtered by "Father's Day." Shoppers in gift mode want curation. Make the decision easy.

Experiential options are having a moment. If your business can offer an experience - a cooking class, a tasting, a lesson, a guided outing - package it as a gift certificate that can be purchased this week and redeemed later. The NRF data says nearly a third of shoppers are actively looking for this.

Extend your Sunday hours. Father's Day is a Sunday. A meaningful share of procrastinators will be scrambling that morning. If you can open early or stay open late, the return on that is better than any ad you could run.

The Window Is This Week

The people who celebrate Father's Day - 77% of Americans, per this survey - are mostly decided on budget and category by now. What they have not decided is where to buy. That decision happens this week, and in many cases, it happens the day before or the day of.

The $226 average is a real number. That is not a cheap card and a six-pack. Someone is going to spend that at a store in your area, and they are looking for something worth giving.

Make sure they can find you.

Sources: National Retail Federation Father's Day 2026 Survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, April 30 - May 6, 2026. Survey of 7,914 U.S. consumers, margin of error +/- 1.1 percentage points.