Alex Roberts – Special to the Southern News
Valentine’s Day is not the most affordable holiday to buy flowers, says Jackie Branco, owner of Jackie’s Floral Design in Naugatuck, Conn. Compared to most other times of the year, Branco says that flowers typically double or triple in price around Valentine’s Day.
Branco says that she worked at Stop and Shop in the floral department through high school and college, so she is aware of the operational differences between grocery store flower shops and independent floral and gift shops.
“Being in a grocery store it’s convenient,” says Branco, “but your product has been sitting there for a week, so the quality will not be the greatest.”
According to Branco, this is because smaller floral shops usually order as much as they need, while grocery stores and chains need to have more supply.
Roses are the usual Valentine’s Day flower, says Branco, but are not always the ideal option if the customer is solely focused on quality and freshness. She says this is because roses are cut ahead of time, sometimes even a week in advance.
According to Branco, mixed flowers are what some florists would recommend because they are a good change of pace for any occasion, especially Valentine’s Day, and can have more of a freshness timeline.
Christelle Pognon, freshman nursing major, says that this holiday is too commercialized and that she is neutral towards participating in it. She says that profits are becoming more important than the actual sentiment surrounding the day.
“Media has become a negative force in this holiday because of too much advertising,” says Pognon.
Ashlé Santos, freshman foreign language major, says that she thinks Valentine’s Day is just another day for people who are coupled up. Just like Pognon, she does not care much for Valentine’s Day.
According to Santos, this holiday has become too much about making money, when it should be about showing emotion and appreciation towards companions. She says that the media plays a positive and negative role because they try to get people into the spirit, but advertise too intensely at the same time.
Tom Nolan, employee at the Southern Connecticut State University bookstore, says that the only Valentine’s Day items that have been received so far are cards.
According to StatisticBrain.com data, the most common Valentine’s Day gifts include candy, flowers, cards.
Fabiana Soares, sophomore social work major, is also disinterested in Valentine’s Day as a whole.
“It is good for couples to participate in,” says Soares, “But some people take it too seriously.”
Branco says that some men end up shopping late and despite how seriously they take the task of picking flowers for their significant others, they still need help. Those last minute shoppers, she says, do have an advantage because they can get more suggestions and help from the designer.
According to Soares, media and advertising play a negative role overall because of the focus on profit and shopping. She also thinks that the entire basis for the holiday is not getting as much focus as the business side.
Treyana Blagmon, freshman graphic design major, said that Valentine’s Day is becoming like many other holidays and events in society because of how much commercialism is intertwined.
Victoria Jolicoeur, junior public health major, said she thinks Valentine’s Day is a silly holiday because of the focus on candy and that love and appreciation should not be isolated to a single day.
