Shoppers Scramble to Show Mothers They Care

Jack Lopes flinched at the thought of forgetting Mother’s Day. He had to buy cards and flowers for six women, and he had only 24 hours to do it.

In one of the Glendale Galleria’s gift shops Saturday, he stood shoulder to shoulder with shoppers who flipped through greeting cards, opening and unfolding the pop-up and accordion ones, reading inscriptions and then stuffing them back into their slots, not satisfied with those supposedly meaningful messages to Mom.

List of names in hand, Lopes still needed one for his wife and her mother, his mother and his sister. “I dread the thought of what would happen if I forget,” the 36-year-old Sylmar resident said. “I think I would have a very pouty wife.”

It was just before noon at the mall. For many, buying a little something to thank Mom for all she has done came while shopping for a new summer bikini or buying the perfect prom dress or taking advantage of the “free gift with purchase” deals at the department stores.

After Lopes made his rounds, dedicated solely to the Mother’s Day errand, he intended to buy flowers. Today 20 members of his extended family were to go out to dinner.

“It’s probably the easiest thing to do,” he said, “but the most expensive.”

Some of the shopping for Mom was easy, especially for mothers with a particular interest or hobby.

Jennifer Shields-Perkins said she bought a Thomas Bros. Guide with laminated pages for her mother. “She really likes maps,” said the 30-year-old Santa Clarita resident, who flipped through the book while her husband, Phillip, looked over her shoulder. “It’s an odd gift, but it’s her.”

Others, like Raul Alfaro, played a guessing game.

“I don’t know if she wanted it, but I’m hoping she did,” said the 28-year-old Cypress Park resident, holding up a set of flower-print bedsheets.

“I picked something out for myself while I was in there too,” he said, displaying a beige vest. Like many shoppers, Alfaro put off buying something for Mother’s Day for financial reasons.

Tie salesman Kevork Bartanian believed that there were many more male shoppers in the mall than usual Saturday, and the proof was in his receipts. In just two hours, he sold 30 ties from his cart called “Tie One On,” 10 of them featuring characters from the cartoon “South Park.”

“Some guys are telling me that they have shopped for everything except a gift for Mother’s Day,” said Bartanian. “They tell me: ‘I’m supposed to buy my wife something but I saw this tie instead.’ ”

For Randy Lawrence, Saturday’s visit to the Galleria was about teaching his 6-year-old son Nicky the importance of observing Mother’s Day.

After peering through glass cases filled with watches and pendants, Nicky chose a silver, heart-shaped locket for his mom and bought it with $10 that he had saved.

“We want him to get something his mom can save,” Lawrence said. “Getting the right thing is more important than just getting anything.”

Other shoppers, like Carla Padilla of Arleta, came with their mothers and were trying to figure out how to sneak away from watchful eyes to get a gift.

Glancing at her mother, Padilla said she would dare not forget Mother’s Day. “She won’t let me forget,” she said.

Her mother, Rosa Maria Padilla, said it would be nice to get jewelry or a nice dress or flowers. She said she still had to buy a gift for her own mother.

Asked what she would do if her children forgot Mother’s Day, Rosa Padilla raised her eyebrows and paused.

“They won’t forget,” she said. “I know they won’t forget.”