What to snag for Dad.

Byline: Joe Mosley The Register-Guard

A gas barbecue grill? Digital fishing scales? Cordless nose-hair trimmer?

Despite a recent nationwide survey that indicates fathers still feel it's the thought that counts most, local retailers say customers are snatching up male-oriented gifts on a spectrum that ranges from classic to quirky in the days leading up to Father's Day.

"It's our fifth-busiest (shopping) week here at GI Joe's," said Dave Bartlett, store manager at the Eugene GI Joe's on Green Acres Road.

The store's busiest two weeks of the year are just before Christmas, he said. And as a point of reference, Mother's Day ranks as just the 13th-busiest week at the store that focuses on sporting goods, outdoor gear and automotive products.

Bartlett said barbecue grills have become a classic Father's Day gift, and many customers are looking for items related to leisure activities - whether it's a tackle box, those digital fishing scales or a 10-in-one tool that will saw tree limbs or open a bottle of wine.

"During this particular (shopping period), we find an influx of customers that come out specifically for Dad," said Bartlett, pointing out that the gift-shoppers are not necessarily regulars at the store.

"The majority of them are just coming in for that specific holiday," he said. "Our customer counts go way up, and transactions per customer go way up."

A recent survey conducted by Discover Card - which sampled 1,000 people nationwide - indicated that a third of all fathers wanted nothing more than a greeting card from their children or spouses.

Another 24 percent were hoping for dinner at a restaurant, and 15 percent picked the no-brainer choice: a gift card or gift certificate.

Those have been popular this week at GI Joe's and at Jerry's Home Improvement Center, another guy-type store that sees a jump in sales every year at this time.

"It is (busy), with both Father's Day and the summer beginning," said Byron Penn, a manager at the Jerry's on Highway 99 in Eugene.

"Because we have so many products, people feel pretty comfortable coming here," Penn said. "This is the time you can indulge Dad and get him those things he's ogled, but hasn't gone to buy on his own."

At Jerry's, that could be a barbecue grill or maybe something in the power tool department.

And there have been those clever spouses who have decided a good Father's Day gift would be all the materials for that deck or planter box that keeps getting delayed.

"It may not be the traditional thing, but it may be something related to a project that's been in the planning stages for a while," Penn said. "But the ole, traditional necktie doesn't quite cut it these days."

Not so fast on that necktie thing.

Tyler Neal, divisional merchandise manager for clothing, pants and furnishings at Macy's Northwest, said the classic Father's Day gift is still the most popular at the stores he serves.

"The most common items in my world are still dress shirts and neckwear," he said. "Then there's underwear and hosiery - I guess those are gifts."

Shaving products are also big this time of year, he said. This year, cargo shorts and polo shirts are big sellers.

And Father's Day rates just behind Christmas at Macy's as the biggest shopping period of the year for men's products. In fact, the current week is expected to account for 8 percent of sales for men's products in the 26-week spring period that runs from February through July.

"We advertise for it in television, radio, direct mail and newspapers - all four mediums," Neal said.

CAPTION(S):

Matt Sychr with GI Joe's tries to find some fishing gear for a customer who's searching for a Father's Day gift.