- In Delaware, residents expect to spend an average of $92.12
- 70% of Americans don’t consider Valentine’s Day to be a real holiday
- 68% of Americans don’t exchange Valentine’s gifts
Valentine’s Day can be celebrated in many ways, but the main question is often whether you did enough.
You might be second-guessing whether one bouquet of flowers was enough or if you should’ve opted for two. Perhaps a gourmet assortment of chocolates would have been better than a heart-shaped tin filled with only one flavor.
No matter what you spent money on this Valentine’s Day, comparison is often the thief of joy, especially when it comes to gift-giving.
Unless, that is, you happen to be one of the Delawareans who bought Valentine’s Day gifts that exceed the state’s average amount of money spent for the holiday.
Despite the 70% of Americans who don’t consider Valentine’s Day to be a real holiday and the 68% who won’t be exchanging gifts, there are still plenty of couples out there who have no problem shelling out the big bucks for a day and night of romance.
In Delaware, residents expect to spend an average of $92.12 on the holiday, according to a study about Valentine’s Day spending.
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While nearly $100 sounds like a good price point, other states are taking their surprises a step further.
California is the state that plans to spend the most for the holiday, with the average expenses coming in at $156.23. New York trails at No. 2 with $140.96, followed by Illinois with $137.16 and Michigan with $131.22.
The state with the lowest Valentine’s Day expenses is Mississippi at $69.42.
Even with Delaware in the middle of the pack, local shops have been busy all month getting holiday orders and romantic surprises together.
In Georgetown, Givens Flowers and Gifts is finding that many of their customers are splurging on floral arrangements for the holiday.
Outside of Valentine’s Day, the average price for their floral offerings is around $65 to $70. The shop typically sells Valentine’s Day orders totaling $100, and this year is no different.
Despite inflation slightly increasing prices to accommodate the increased prices of flowers, customers are still placing large orders and going all out on floral gifts, said Charles and Tina Stevenson, owners of Givens Flowers and Gifts.
“Actually, we’ve been a little busier than last year,” said Charles. “Most people do little add-ons like a little box of chocolates or a bear.”
The shop previously has fulfilled holiday orders for two dozen or three dozen roses totaling around $375. These are usually for businesses, like doctors’ offices treating their office staff, and are among their highest sales.
Sweet Dreams Confections Co. is a family-run confectionery in Middletown making hand-crafted sweets for all occasions. Some of their Valentine’s Day bestsellers include hand-dipped, chocolate-covered strawberries, which come in milk, white and dark chocolate. Another big seller is their handmade truffles that come in 37 flavors.
Although they don’t often have customers asking for extravagant chocolate gifts or opting for the shops all-inclusive options for goodies, most people spent around $25 to $30 there this year, said Luke Luckini, co-owner of the shop.
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Orders placed by corporations have racked up to be $175, depending on the item selection, but most individual orders for occasions like Valentine’s Day typically do not follow suit.
In the past, some customers have requested unique arrangements like gold glitter-covered chocolate pretzels and strawberries.
Some love birds have even inquired about hiding money in the shop’s fan-favorite hot cocoa bombs, but Sweet Dreams Confections Co. isn’t in the business of mixing money with food, Luckini jokes.
“We haven’t had any crazy requests,” said Luckini. “It’s been pretty tame so far this year, but we still have another 48 hours to go.”
