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At Watanabe Floral, Valentine’s Day on Monday will be a whirlwind of 800 deliveries and nearly 200 customer pickup orders.
“I’m very pleased with the level of orders that have already come in for this entire week,” said Monty Pereira, general manager and sales and marketing director for the business on Nimitz Highway.
Several flower shops on Oahu are welcoming a boost in sales as Valentine’s Day is among the busiest holidays for the industry. At Watanabe Floral, sales are projected to be stronger this year than in 2021 and 2020 as the business has more than 2,000 orders to fill over the next week.
Watanabe Floral is extending its hours Monday — from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. — in anticipation of a rush of last-minute shoppers. “The concern is not necessarily that the sales wouldn’t come; (it’s) that Monday could be so frenetic because everybody is trying to take action in one day,” Pereira said.
In 2021, florists were pinched by inventory shortages due in part to suppliers dumping tons of flowers when COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns hit in March 2020. Production is a lot better this year, Pereira said.
“What we were concerned about this year wasn’t the production of flowers; it was more transportation of getting things here because of all the bottlenecks in airliners and truckers and wharves. But so far we have been OK. It’s been better than expected so far, which we’re very grateful for,” Pereira said.
Yuki Kimbler, manager and a designer at Stanley Ito Florist in Manoa, said the shop has been busy with orders for 150 floral arrangement to be picked up by customers Monday.
In addition to flowers, recipients receive a handwritten note and a pair of chocolates from Choco le‘a, a gourmet chocolate store near the business. “Many people really love it,” Kimbler said.
Though sales have dropped compared with pre-pandemic days, when the flower shop estimated 300 to 400 orders for Valentine’s Day, Kimbler said this year’s sales continue to do well with the community’s support.
People might see a slight bump in flower prices due to inflation as costs for vases, fillers and greenery have gone up, florists said.
At Beretania Florist in Makiki, sales and marketing director Reece Nakamoto Farinas said the store, which has been operating in Hawaii for more than 80 years, has approximately 1,200 deliveries scheduled in the week leading up to Valentine’s Day.
Grateful for their loyal customer base, Farinas said, “We’re lucky to be busy.”
President Tina Yamaki of the Retail Merchants of Hawaii said it appears that this year people are more comfortable going shopping for gifts for loved ones and dining at restaurants to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
According to a recent annual survey by the National Retail Federation and Proper Insights &Analytics, flowers, candy and greeting cards remain the most popular items to give spouses and significant others. The survey also show nearly one-third of respondents plan to give an “evening out” this year — up from 24% in 2021.
A demand for “gifts of experience,” such as tickets to a concert, has returned to pre-pandemic levels, with 41% saying they would “love to receive a gift of experience,” a slight increase from 36% in 2021.
“While traditional Valentine’s Day gifts like candy and flowers seem to never go out of style, gift givers and recipients alike are more comfortable heading out for a special meal or participating in a new experience than they were a year ago,” said Proper Insights Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist in a news release. “This is especially true among younger age groups.”
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