NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Executives should sooner miss their anniversary or spouse's birthday before spacing April 27...otherwise known as Administrative Professionals Day (formerly Secretary's Day).

FTD, the nation-wide florist, would not comment on the impact of the holiday on their revenue, but a spokeswoman did say it is one of the company's top-10 holidays of the year.

Hallmark, which says the day just misses cracking its top-10 list of occasions, offers 36 different AP cards in its regular line, 26 more in Spanish, and many more in specialty card lines such as the ones exclusively for Wal-Mart. For Hallmark Flowers, AP Day is "huge," according to a spokeswoman.

The big candy makers also rake in some extra cash from the holiday.

Contrary to popular belief, however, lining the pockets of merchants was never the intention of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), which started the holiday in 1952. "IAAP started this not to obligate employers to give gifts, but to recognize the valuable contributions made by office support staff," said IAAP spokesman Rick Stroud.

The message has been diluted Stroud said, because, "The florists and greeting card companies have bigger marketing budgets than we do."

There are more than 4.1 million administrative professionals in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and they play a big role in the smooth running of any operation.

"Public perception of what an administrative professional does has lagged behind the actual duties," says Stroud. "Executives are busier than ever," he adds, "and APs need to have management, supervisory, and information management skills. They need to be able to do more than just type and file." And being the first, sometimes the only, person the public might deal with in a company, they also contribute to corporate image.

For all that ability and responsibility, Stroud says the average salary ranges from $35,000 to $45,000.

About two percent of APs surveyed by the IAAP make $70,000 or more. Some make six-figure incomes. New York Stock Exchange ex-chairman Dick Grasso paid his secretary $240,000 a year.

But salaries like that are rare and usually involve an assistant who has become a trusty confidante to a CEO, a gatekeeper, someone who the CEO can bounce ideas off of, and who handles high-level administrative details to free up the CEO's time.

For the ambitious, a AP job can be "a great way to learn the business for people who want to get into management," says Stroud.

Then they can be the ones picking out gifts for their assistants this week.

Survey: Manager jobs rise; secretarial work declines