Presiana Dawson
Staff Writer
For many, Valentine’s Day has become a day for individuals to show their love for one another through lavish material things and creative ideas. According to the Los Angeles Times, Americans are expected to spend $17.6 billion to show their loved ones how much they care.
According to the Greeting Card Association, Valentine’s Day comes in second place for the most cards bought after Christmas. On average, men will dish out approximately $168.74 on clothing, jewelry, and on other gifts. Women will only spend about half of that according to National Retail Federation.
With the arrival of creative businesses such as Edible Arrangements, people want to use fruit bouquets to show their loved ones how happy they are to have them. That is stretching far from the norm of a bouquet of roses. If you are planning on shopping Edible Arrangements, expect to spend from $29 to $100 with the inclusion of possible free delivery. With Edible Arrangements, you have a variety of fruit platters dipped in chocolate and a variety of vase filled with fruit on sticks. With a great selection of fruit, you can also expect a great selection of prices to satisfy you loved ones taste buds.
To further add to the Valentine’s Day budget, individuals can venture out to bakeries. At the average bakery, cakes and other sweet treats can range from $20-$50 depending on your taste and the depth of your wallet.
“Valentine’s day is a marketing perk. Here in America diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but in other countries they don’t have wedding bands. Valentine’s day is a way to get money out of people’s pockets,” said Quintin Love, a junior mass communications from Sharon, Miss.
Gregory Poindexter, a freshman mass communications major from Ridgeland, Miss., believes the meaning for the holiday has become too commercialized.
“Valentine’s Day is about love, but from a college perspective, girls might be in competition,” said Poindexter.
To help offset the cost of Valentine’s Day, the Student Government Association at Jackson State University sold affordable baskets from Feb. 10-15. The gift baskets, which ranged in price from $8- $12, included a teddy bear and a box of chocolates of varying sizes depending on the cost. Students could also purchase roses and schedule an Outspoken member to “spit” a verse to the person of their choice for an additional fee.
For college students, this may seem like a large investment for a day of love opposed to a card, roses or fruit bouquet.
Some students feel that spending large amounts of money to show loved ones how much you care is unnecessary.
“Valentine’s day is about love, because gifts are only temporary and after the day is over with it’s about you and the other person,” said Lauren Taylor, a freshman economics major from Madison, Ala.
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