5:02 p.m. rolls around. Enter a flood of frazzled men. Some wander around the shop aimlessly, while others snatch up any available bouquet in sight and maybe a balloon or two. Trying not to run into one another, they head to the checkout counter one by one, frantically searching their pockets for their cell phones to speed dial any restaurant for last minute dinner reservations.
No, this isn’t National Men in the Doghouse Day — it’s just a typical Valentine’s Day evening in local flower shops.
“We either will get early birds calling weeks and weeks in advance checking in on every little detail, or we get last-minute guys grabbing anything on their way home,” Sheri Johnson, the owner of Garden Flowers, said.
Regardless of customers’ procrastination levels, Garden Flowers, located on 11th and Howard streets in the Old Market, is consistently chaotic on Valentine’s Day.
“It’s a really, really busy day for us,” Johnson said.
Piccolo’s Florist, located on 83rd and Maple streets and 80th and Dodge streets, is no different.
“I would say we sell about 100 times more [on Valentine’s Day] than [we do] on an average day,” Ronna Flood-Wiig, the general manager of Piccolo’s Florist, said. “We average 60 deliveries a day and we will do probably 1,200 on Valentine’s Day.”
All the extra business pays off, as Brenda Veasman, the owner of Flowerama on 14265 Pacific St., explained.
“Valentine’s week makes up about 15 percent of our yearly sales,” she said.
Due to the spike in business, area florists brace for the holiday by increasing stock and staffing extra employees and van drivers. In addition, florists stock up on one crucial item for the big day — red roses.
“On Valentine’s Day, we sell more red roses than anything else,” Johnson said.
These roses come in handy for a number of customers hoping to make the holiday extra special.
“We’ve been involved in a couple of marriage proposals,” Johnson said. “One customer last year arranged to have dinner across the street at V. Mertz. After dinner, he had a dessert tray brought out with one dozen of our roses and the diamond ring on it.”
Flowerama also helps out with holiday marriage proposals.
“The most fun is the men who are proposing to their girlfriends on Valentine’s Day,” Veasman said. “They get pretty creative, and it’s fun to help them put it all together.”
Don’t have something quite as extravagant in mind for your celebration? Fear not, these florists have your back. Many shops offer arrangements that cater to a variety of price ranges — even college students’ budget-conscious ones.
If you are ordering flowers for the special day, you can often save money by visiting the flower shop in person.
“I would suggest picking up [flowers] rather than delivery,” Flood-Wiig said.
In fact, Piccolo’s Florist is offering customers $20 worth of free products to those who opt to pick up orders on their own.
Garden Flowers also has budget-friendly options. The shop creates floral arrangements at the end of the day from various leftover flowers and sells them at a lower price.
If you have something more personal in mind, however, the shop can still help you out.
“If you give us an idea of your price range and tell us the colors you have in mind for the arrangement, we can make something lovely for you,” Arts & Sciences senior Sarah Giesler, a Garden Flowers employee, said.
Tired of the typical bouquet? Veasman suggests switching things up on Valentine’s Day to show that special someone you care.
“Try something a little different this year,” Veasman said. “Gerber daisies are fun, affordable and girls love them. Tulips would be another great option — everyone loves a little bit of spring in the winter!”
Weighing those floral options and making preparations to create a holiday that your special someone won’t soon forget makes it easy to get caught up in all of the hype.
“I have nothing against [Valentine’s Day] and I understand celebrating it, but I feel like people put too much pressure on making a big deal of it,” Amanda Burkey, an Arts and Sciences junior, said.
So boys, take note: A thoughtful gesture is all that most girls are looking for.
“I think guys giving flowers is admirable — at least they thought of something,” Burkey said. “I think as long as the guy or girl makes some sort of effort to do something nice, then that’s all that counts.”