AUSTIN, Texas, May 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- RetailMeNot.com (www.retailmenot.com), the largest digital coupon website in the United States, today released the Grads and Dads Edition of its Shoppers Trend Report, revealing findings from a survey conducted with The Omnibus Company (www.omnibus.com) that more than half (56%) of respondents say giving new graduates a check or cash is the best gift. Additionally, fathers feel the pain of neglect on Father's Day.  Directionally consistent with last year's fatherly feeling that Dads get no respect, nearly 6 in 10 (58%) dads say they spend more on Mother's Day gifts than their partners spend on them on Father's Day.

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Money, money, money!

Is it usually a struggle to find new graduates the perfect gift for such a major milestone in their lives? Here's an idea: Try cash. More than half of consumers (56%) surveyed feel a check or cash is the best gift for new graduates. Nearly 1 in 5 (19%) say the same thing about gift cards or gift certificates.

• On average, respondents think $111 is an appropriate amount to spend on a gift for a high school grad, $243 for a college grad and $256 for someone finishing graduate school.
• Respondents who are parents of children that are now dealing with school-related debt say that the average amount their children owed when school was over was $13,600.
• Survey respondents who had some kind of school debt themselves after graduating reported just over $14,000 on average.

"Many of us know individuals who are graduating during this time of year. Giving cash or a gift card gives recent grads the flexibility to make the purchases they need, especially if they have student loans to pay off," says John Faith, RetailMeNot's resident couponing dad.

Are dads feeling shortchanged on Father's Day?

Heck yeah! Almost 3 in 5 (58%) dads surveyed feel that they spend more money on their partners for Mother's Day than their significant others typically spend on them for Father's Day.

• However, fathers might actually benefit more than mothers on their special days when their children are buying the gifts.  Just 23 percent of consumers surveyed typically spend more than $61 on a gift for Mom, while 31 percent spend more than $61 on gifts for Dad.
• More than half of respondents (52%) will spend up to $60 on a gift for dad, while 16% don't typically give a Father's Day gift.

"I appreciate quality time with my daughter on Father's Day, as do 26 percent of the dads we surveyed. However, if you're planning on getting a gift for your dad this year, I recommend staying away from the clichéd tie or 'World's Best Dad' T-shirt," says Faith. "If your dad is like me, he'll love a new gadget or gift card to his favorite store."

Tech for Dad: iPhones, iPads and … PCs? What happened to iMac?

While Apple products top the phone and tablet categories, Apple falls behind as a preferred laptop. More than 8 in 10 (82%) consumers surveyed prefer PCs over Macs.

• iPhones are the most desired smartphone, with 37% choosing Apple. Other popular phones were:
  • Android: 24%
  • Samsung Galaxy: 20%
  • Windows: 8%
  • Blackberry Z10/D10: 4%·  
          
• iPads are the most coveted tablet, with almost half (46%) the nation preferring this brand. Other brands were:
  • Kindle Fire: 17%
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab: 17%
  • Microsoft Surface: 8%
  • Google Nexus: 5%

Other key "Dads and Grads" findings of the survey results include:

• Nearly 2 in 3 (64%) respondents believe that a college degree is still a good investment, even if it puts students in debt.
  • Close to 4 in 5 (78%) respondents say that they would pay their child's college tuition if they could afford it; 65% feel the same way about graduate school.
• Dad's "do not gift" list includes ties (32%), T-shirts with dad-related slogans (27%) and coffee mugs (19%).
  • Family quality time would be a more appreciated gift for fathers ages 50-plus than it would for 18- to 49-year-old fathers (38% vs. 18%).
• iPhones are the most popular among 18- to 34-year-olds (48%) vs. those who are 35-plus (31%) and among Westerners (41%) vs. those in other regions (35%)

Survey Methodology:
The Grads and Dads Survey was conducted by The Omnibus Company between May 2 and May 9, 2013, among 1,058 U.S. residents ages 18 and over, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the entire U.S. population 18 and over. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample. The margin of error for any subgroups will be slightly higher.

About RetailMeNot.com

RetailMeNot.com (www.retailmenot.com) is the most widely used digital coupon site in the United States. Our mission is to help consumers save money and enjoy a hassle-free discount shopping experience. Since November 2006, our users have shared hundreds of thousands of digital coupons from retailers. Digital coupons are rated and ranked by users, ensuring that quality deals rise to the top and expired coupons drop down the list. RetailMeNot.com is operated by RetailMeNot, Inc., the world's leading marketplace for digital coupons.

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About RetailMeNot, Inc.
RetailMeNot, Inc. (www.retailmenot.com/corp/) is the world's leading digital coupon marketplace. The company's websites enable consumers across the globe seeking to save money to find hundreds of thousands of digital coupons from retailers. RetailMeNot, Inc. experienced more than 450 million consumer visits to its sites in 2012. The RetailMeNot, Inc. portfolio of coupon and deal websites includes www.RetailMeNot.com, the leading digital coupon site in the United States; www.VoucherCodes.co.uk, the leading digital coupon site in the United Kingdom; www.Deals.com in Germany; www.Actiepagina.nl, a leading digital coupon site in the Netherlands; Bons-de-Reduction.com and www.Poulpeo.com, leading digital coupon and cash back sites in France; and www.Deals2Buy.com, a leading discount offer site in North America. 

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