Gifts from chocolates to diamonds to flowers are popular gifts sold for Valentine's Day. In Michigan, experts say the floral industry is impacted the most by the annual spending rush.
The National Retail Federation released statistics online about the 2023 spending patterns for American's during Valentine's Day. They ranked the most popular gifts consumers plan to give. They ranked candy as most popular, greeting cards as second, and flowers as the third most popular.
Andrea Bitely is the vice president of marketing and communications for the Michigan Retailers association. She said in Michigan, the flower industry will see the greatest spending increase around Valentine’s Day.
She said, "Florists in Michigan typically see a little bump around Valentine's Day. And our jewelers throughout the state also see somewhat of a bump as well. You know, local candy shops will also see a bump. But really the florist probably get the most of a bump."
Tara Wilson is a manager and designer at Lasting Expressions Flower Shop in Alpena. She has worked there for eight years.
She said, "the preparation starts more than a month in advance with pre-ordering to make sure that we get our name on a certain quantity, because there are only so many flowers that can be shipped."
Wilson said Valentine's Day is the busiest day of the year, and usually they see lines out the door so people can buy flowers. She said, the longer people wait to buy flowers, the more money they are willing to spend on flowers.
According to the National Retailer Federation, consumers will spend about two billion dollars more on Valentine's Day than last year. Bitely said although there aren’t exact numbers on Michigander’s Valentine’s Day spending, they are expected to spend more on Valentine's Day this year than in previous years.
Bitely said, "with the current inflationary market that we’re all seeing, everything’s getting a little more expensive, but it looks like spending will be up this year. Here in Michigan, where we spend so much of the wintertime in this nasty gray cloudy environment, folks are excited to spend a little bit of money to liven up their Valentine's Day."
Wilson said that last year was Lasting Expression's biggest year for Valentine's Day. She is hoping that this year will be similar.
Wilson said, "It really honestly depends on what's going on in the world. It depends on the day that the Valentine's falls. If Valentine's falls on a weekend, we actually get less foot traffic than if it falls on a weekday."
Bitely wants consumers to know however they choose to spend their money, they should do so locally.
She said, "we strongly encourage people to buy nearby. Head to your main street, pick up flowers, pick up chocolate pick up a great new read, whatever it is that your loved one enjoys. Do that on your main street."
