In a classic 鈥淪aturday Night Live鈥� sketch, a young man hands his girlfriend a Valentine鈥檚 Day gift: a bear dressed in a bee costume that he picked up at the drugstore.
鈥淲hen did you get this?鈥� she asks with a strained smile.
鈥淥ne minute ago,鈥� he replies.
It has more than a ring of truth. For a day meant to celebrate romance and the depths of feeling we have for loved ones, a large portion of Valentine鈥檚 shopping is done at the last minute.
In each of the past two years, nearly half of U.S. spending on Valentine鈥檚 Day flowers, candy and cards occurred between Feb. 11 and Feb. 14, according to Numerator, a market research company. But sales do not peak until Valentine鈥檚 Day itself.
Walmart 鈥� which sells nearly 40 million red roses for the holiday 鈥� says around 75% of its Valentine鈥檚 Day sales occur on Feb. 13 and 14. Those two days account for 80% of Kroger鈥檚 sales during Valentine鈥檚 week.
鈥淎lthough stores begin pushing their Valentine鈥檚 Day inventory weeks ahead of the day, before the holiday itself, most consumers save their shopping for the last minute,鈥� said Amanda Schoenbauer, an analyst with Numerator.
For last-minute shopping, Americans still tend to spend a lot. This year, they鈥檙e expected to shell out a collective $25.8 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. Candy is the most popular gift; nearly 60% of Valentine鈥檚 shoppers planning to buy some. Greeting cards are second.
Some of that spending takes place well before the holiday. Target says consumers start snapping up Valentine鈥檚 home d茅cor soon after Christmas ends. Valentine鈥檚-themed potted plants were also popular this year, Target said, and many of those plants were bought early rather than closer to the holiday as is usually the case with cut flowers.
Yet procrastination seems to be part of the holiday tradition, according to data from Walgreens, which sold 44% of its Valentine鈥檚 candy and 56% of its Valentine鈥檚 cards on Feb. 13 and 14.
Delivery companies help some consumers shave it even closer. Uber Eats says its flower orders peak on Valentine鈥檚 Day between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Uber Eats says it also appears to be a resource for forgetful lovers: Its flower orders are 60% higher than average on the day after Valentine鈥檚 Day.
Procrastinators can make it tough for businesses to keep customers satisfied.
Linda Bryant grows many of the flowers she sells at Just Bouquets, her flower shop in Panama, Nebraska. Usually she delivers the flowers herself, but on Valentine鈥檚 Day her husband helps.
鈥淰alentine鈥檚 would not be my favorite florist holiday just because it鈥檚 stressful,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 go out. I鈥檓 too tired. But I love making people happy.鈥�
Bryant sympathizes with the people who call in orders on Valentine鈥檚 Day. She spent a lot of time trying to figure out how many flowers to order for her shop this Valentine's Day. The decision was made last minute.
鈥淭he people who call on February 14 are usually desperate,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 try to be kind and remind them, it鈥檚 always February 14. The date doesn鈥檛 change.鈥�
One could argue that people order flowers at the last minute just to keep them fresh, but the procrastination trend extends beyond gifts that can wilt.
In 2023, 30% of OpenTable reservations for Valentine鈥檚 Day were made the day before and 18% were made on the day of.
Flowers and cards from the drugstore are one thing, but you're likely to miss out on a special date if you wait too long.
Meadow Brook Hall, a historic estate in Rochester, Michigan, says the 115 tickets available for its annual Valentine鈥檚 Day dinner sold out weeks ago. The venue gets requests all the way through Valentine鈥檚 Day, says Katie Higgins, Meadow Brook鈥檚 marketing and communications manager. The week before the dinner, 50 couples were on the wait list.
Joseph Ferrari, a psychology professor at DePaul University in Chicago, says around 20% of men and women are chronic procrastinators. But in the case of Valentine鈥檚 Day, there are other reasons consumers might put things off.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of fatigue. We just did Christmas, now you鈥檙e hitting me up for this,鈥� he said. Others procrastinate because they fear failing or buying the wrong gift, he said.
Ferrari has some advice: Don鈥檛 procrastinate when it comes to telling people you love them.
鈥淲e should be celebrating love all the time, not just once in a while,鈥� he said.
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AP Business Writer Anne D'Innocenzio in New York contributed to this report.
Dee-ann Durbin, The Associated Press
