Why saying ‘I love you’ with flowers this Valentine’s Day could cost you more

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - If you plan on buying that special someone flowers for Valentine’s Day it may come with a higher price tag.

The price of flowers has risen since the start of the pandemic and local floral shop owners say one reason for the inflated price tag is delivery orders.

“We’re just trying to keep up with the increase in the cost,” says Stems Floral Owner Michelle Cox. “By the time you pay for the florist, the driver the gas, the flowers, the overhead and the fees. You’re lucky on a $50 order if you make five to $7.”

Wire services also eat up some of the costs because they help local shops fulfill their orders but Stem Floral Owner Michelle Cox says the higher price tag isn’t stopping the shop’s customers this Valentine’s Day.

“We’re going to see if we can break our all-time valentine’s day record. Our record is 157 (orders).″

Event Floral in Loves Park is also feeling the impact of these prices.

“There are things like holidays where it can seem very profit driven but in actuality it is more of just that trying to cover costs still being available and accessible to any customer that needs or wants us,” says Owner Erin Stoffregen.

Stoffregen says she’s thankful the shop is rooted on wedding and event planning to help them stay in business. Both Erin and Michelle say it’s hard to succeed on flowers alone.

“We’ve kind of continued to grow in terms of the sales and things that we do on valentine’s day. And we are forecasting this one to be one of the largest that we’ll have,” says Stoffregen.

Valentine’s Day spending is projected to hit $26 billion this year according to a survey from the National Retail Federation and almost 40% of that will be on flowers.

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