FERNDALE, Mich. (WXYZ) — As Valentine's Day approaches, love is in the air, and so are higher prices. From roses to candy, the cost of celebrating is rising.
Watch Carli's report below
Between all the chocolate and flowers, there's no denying that Valentine's Day has a real impact on our wallets. And if it feels like celebrating the day of love is costing more than ever, you're not imagining it.
"We would usually just go out to dinner and then go home, go watch a movie and open some presents," said Ren Phillips.
“In previous years, we have splurged and gone to the restaurant on top of the Ren-Cen," said Phillip Bunker.
According to Consumer Price Index data, Valentine's Day-related costs are up about 30 percent since 2021. And consumers I spoke with say that's why they're changing up their plans for the year.
“We don’t want to spend a lot of money at this time," Phillips said.
Phillips tells me that she and her partner are going to keep it more "low-key."
"We’re not doing any presents this year. It’s really just stay home and just cook together and maybe bake something," Phillips said.
As for Bunker, he said he and his partner are having to get more creative.
“I don’t want to spill the beans but it might be a little smaller bouquet, you know, a hand-written card, instead of one purchased from the store, and it may be some hand-made gifts," Bunker said.
And local businesses in metro Detroit are feeling the price hikes too, including David Ogloza, owner of Quix Chocolate in Ferndale.
“In about three and a half years, the price of our chocolate has nearly doubled," Ogloza said. “We had some shortages in the cocoa market about over a year ago, and that definitely has worked its way through to me, and then obviously the end user. So, I have to say,y for this year our pricing for our Valentine’s Day chocolate boxes is maybe a few dollars more than they were last year.”
David isn't the only chocolatier feeling this impact.
“It definitely is and you will find that some stores and maybe even the bigger brands, especially, you may have seen articles about them using less chocolate in their products and focusing more on sugary candies instead," Ogloza said.
As for flowers, Michael Fraley, one of the new owners of Tiffany Florist, a longtime flower shop in Birmingham, said we're now seeing the impact of tariffs.
“We’ve seen a pretty high increase in flowers coming from Europe," Fraley said.
And although flowers cost more, Fraley said he's not passing that cost down to his customers.
"Yes, we did $8 a stem then. Something like red roses on Valentine’s Day you have to have. So, we are probably making a little less profit on them than we did last year," Fraley said.
But even with higher prices, couples say love isn't about what's in the box or the bouquet.
“I really think the proof of a really strong relationship on Valentine’s is just spending time together and doing activities together and sharing experiences together, rather than sharing items if that makes sense.”
