Valentine's Day sales average $97 a person

A hundred bucks on Valentine's Day? Sounds about right to Edward Pikes.

"You figure flowers, a card, a bear and chocolate and you're close to a hundred dollars," said the 40-year-old Cape Girardeau resident and self-professed romantic.

That's the amount -- $97.27 to be exact -- that love birds are expected to spend on Valentine's Day, the third-largest retail holiday of the year, according to the National Retail Federation.

Though U.S. consumers will spend less on average than last year's $99.24, a federation survey predicts that more people will be celebrating Valentine's Day, 61.8 percent compared to 59.8 percent last year. That will push Valentine's Day spending to $13.2 billion this year, up from $12.8 billion in 2004, the federation said.

That means big business for retailers, restaurants and other providers of entertainment.

"It's one of the busiest weeks we have," said Rick Werner, owner of Holiday Happenings in Cape Girardeau. The store sells heart-shaped balloons, candy and stuffed animals.

And, oh yeah, roses.

"We usually sell 4,000 to 5,000 roses through the week," he said. "It's the biggest holiday for flower sales, by far."

Flowers, jewelry, cards and candy are the most popular gifts. Greeting cards top the list, with 67 percent of people purchasing at least one. Almost half buy candy. The study also showed that more than half of men, 57.8 percent, bought flowers for the occasion.

Werner predicted that Valentine's Day sales account for about 10 percent of his business.

"I just wish people wouldn't wait until the last minute," he said. "Monday will be unbelievable."

Dorothy Scheper, the owner of S&S Florist in Jackson, said it's a busy time for her shop too.

"We'll put in as many as 90 hours this week," she said. "We'll work all day Sunday and Sunday night until we get all the orders filled."

She said she's noticed that more women are buying flowers for their mates.

"They buy flowers for their boyfriends or husbands," she said. "Some of them buy for their mothers, too. But we still sell to a lot more men than ladies."

But it's not all flowers. Valentine's Day -- and even the weekend before -- means a busier time for restaurants.

Celebrations in Cape Girardeau is almost completely booked for Valentine's Day, said James Allen, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Pat. Saturday night is also filling up fast, he said.

Some people are thinking outside the Valentine's Day box.

Martha Parsons of Eugene's Total Care Salon in Cape Girardeausaid some people like to pamper their significant others with professional massages, manicure, pedicure or a facial.

"We usually do a really big gift certificate business around Valentine's Day," she said. "People do like to sometimes give specialty gifts for pampering, instead of doing flowers or things like that. I think it's a very loving, caring way to let someone know you care about them."

Meanwhile, self-described romantic Edward Pikes said he buys his girlfriend gifts because she is always appreciative.

"She's a very practical person," he said. "If I didn't make it a big deal and buy her lots of gifts, she'd be OK with it. I don't have to go overboard. That's the reason I do."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137