The #1 Thing Olmsted and Mower County Residents Will Buy Dad for Father’s Day

That's my dad right there. W.T. Rabe was his name...Wilmer Taylor Rabe. Wilmer? He went by Bill, thankfully. Buying Father's Day gifts for him was hard just as it is for every kid, right? So, what's the #1 thing people in Olmsted County will be buying for Dad?

They'll be buying something I don't think I ever got for my dad.

A gift card.

A new study says that the vast majority of people will be getting dad a greeting card.

There's nothing wrong with a greeting card, they kick butt I guess, but I just never bought one for my dad. Handwritten or typed note? You bet. We had a house full of typewriters, and my handwriting was bad, so I'll bet I typed most of 'em.

I know that's unusual, a typewriter for each kid. They were super old manuals. But I liked banging away on it and handing in a poorly typed homework assignment to teachers. They never complained because they knew how bad my hand-writing was. Is. VERY is.

Anyway, On average, nationally, people will pay $125.92 for Father's Day this year, a healthy jump from the $115.57 they removed from their wallets in 2015. All told, we'll spend $14.3 billion, a healthy amount -- and the most ever for the holiday -- but still well short of the $21.4 billion grateful kids fork over on Mother's Day.

All those millions on greeting cards? Nope...they get other stuff, too. But largest number of people will buy greeting cards...and I think it's odd I never ever bought one for dad.

So, what will people be giving dear ol' dad? Here's a look:

• 47% - special outings such as dinner, brunch or other types of a “fun activity/experience”
• 43% - clothing
• 41% - gift cards
• 22% - "gift of experience," such as tickets to concert or game
• 20% - electronics