The Ultimate Online Father’s Day Gift Guide

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While a report this week says men still get paid more than women for working the same job, there’s no gender gap when it comes to gifts for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

“Seventy percent of consumers are planning to spend the same amount of money on Father’s Day gifts as they did on Mother’s Day gifts this year,” says shopping site PriceGrabber. It surveyed 4,450 of its shoppers and found…

  • 57 percent will spend less than $100
  • 21 percent will spend between $100 and $249
  • 11 percent will spend more than $250.
  • 11 percent say they don’t have a budget

But regardless of what you plan to spend, do you know what to buy?

1. Shop online

PriceGrabber says only 36 percent of us will buy a Father’s Day gift from a brick-and-mortar store. The rest will buy online. And why not? It’s easy. Many shopping sites have grouped their wares into Father’s Day gift guides. Here’s just a sample…

  • Amazon.com has the most comprehensive guide, from traditional neckties and “Updated Wingtips” to all the latest tech toys.
  • PriceGrabber, of course, compiled its own guide – why else would they pay for the survey? While tools and tech abound, it has a long list of after-shaves and colognes.
  • Bed, Bath & Beyond should add the word “Beer” to its name. Its Father’s Day gift guide features a Mr. Beer brewing kit, craft beer glasses, a “Half Yard of Ale Glass with Stand” (it’s exactly what it sounds like), and a “Keg O Rator” (don’t ask).
  • Mrs. Fields Cookies wants to fatten up your father. It offers a dozen tasty and high-calorie treats ranging from a “Happy Father’s Day Cookie Cake” for $38 to a “Father’s Day Personalized Tin” that can hold up to 112 cookies for $45.
  • Uncommon Goods lives up to its name, with gifts that include a “corksickle,” “railroad date nail cufflinks,” and “Himalayan salt tequila glasses.”

2. Search online

Shopping sites are obviously promoting their own products, but what if you want objective reviews? Check out these online and print magazines…

  • CNET is one of the largest tech sites in the world, so obviously, they ain’t selling neckties and beer mugs. Their guide kicks off with a helpful three-minute video.
  • GQ Magazine is big on cigar cutters, humidors, cuff links, and fancy (and expensive) pens. That makes sense, since GQ is a men’s magazine, and these are perfect gifts for a dad from a son.
  • Lucky, on the other hand, is a woman’s magazine. It suggests gifts for under $50 that include body wash, smartphone accessories – and a subscription to GQ.
  • Men’s Fitness recommends, true to its name, healthy gifts like a high-end electric toothbrush and age-defying skin cream. But then there’s a coffee maker and cigars. Huh?
  • Wired Magazine touts the most expensive item we’ve seen this year: “An Original Everlasting Gobstopper” from 1971 movie Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. Price at auction: starting at $20,000. Cheaper yet not-much-more-practical items include an updated version of the board game Battleship and a book for new parents called How Not to Kill Your Baby.

3. Listen to the man

Ebates.com is an online coupon site that recently conducted a survey of its own – and it’s fascinating. Why? Because it asked dads what they want for Father’s Day, then asked women what they think dads want for Father’s Day.

Sixty percent of women said their dads want tickets to a sporting event – but more than half the dads said they wanted a tablet computer or a smartphone.

Those dads are going to be disappointed – that aforementioned PriceGrabber survey found that only 18 percent of shoppers plan on buying a tech gadget for Father’s Day.

So it looks like going tech can’t go wrong.

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