Er, well, sort of.

OK, not quite, but Bosses' Day is catching up, at least according to some of the customers of 1-800-FLOWERS, who participated in an interactive survey as part of a DILBERT^TM Bosses' Day Sweepstakes with United Media.

The three-question survey administered over the Internet by 1-800-FLOWERS, the world's largest florist, drew about 8,400 responses in 11 days, with almost 65 percent of those responding indicating they plan to give, or may consider giving, their boss a gift for Bosses' Day on October 16. And nearly 75 percent said they would consider buying their boss a gift over the Web.

Other numbers from the survey include:

… 29.1 percent of those polled indicated they definitely would purchase their boss a gift for Bosses' Day because "she noticed I was working a 90-hour work week and suggested I take the weekend off."
… 35.6 percent would consider it because "he gave me credit for an idea even though it wasn't mine."
… Only a bitter 34.7 percent wouldn't get their boss a gift, claiming "he said I couldn't take two weeks vacation at one time-I'd have to take it in two-day intervals."

The two other questions in the survey were "How much are you spending?" and "Would you consider buying your boss a gift over the Web?"

Those who responded to the survey were entered into a contest to receive a 1-800-FLOWERS DILBERT^TM Gift Pack or a 1-800-FLOWERS DILBERT^TM and THE BOSS^TM Gift Pack. Both baskets are packed with eight gifts that are useful and fun, in a computer paper box, and include a 17" stuffed DILBERT toy, DILBERT Post-It notes, a DILBERT mouse pad, an oversized DILBERT coffee mug, a live cactus dish garden, a can of soda and a candy bar. DILBERT currently appears in more than 1,700 newspapers worldwide in 51 countries and 19 languages.

United Media is a fully integrated, worldwide licensing and syndication company that focuses on building brand equity around a wide range of creative content through its two divisions: syndication (United Feature Syndicate (UFS) and Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA)), and licensing (United Media Licensing). Key properties include DILBERT, PEANUTS, OVER THE HEDGE, Miss Manners, National Geographic Society and PBS. United Media is an E.W. Scripps Company.

1-800-FLOWERS, headquartered in Westbury, New York, is the world's largest florist with $300 million in sales and more than 2,000 employees. Recognized as a leading integrated marketer, 1-800-FLOWERS is accessible through the company's stores, via the Internet (www.1800flowers.com), America Online (keyword: flowers) and other on-line services, and by calling 1-800-FLOWERS 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All 1-800-FLOWERS orders are hand-crafted to reflect the sentiments of the sender and are delivered only through the best neighborhood florists worldwide.