SeeCalifornia.com

Photos left to right: Gondola Getaway in Naples, Calif. offers romantic Valentine’s rides;  heart shaped helium balloons are tethered to personal belongings at the beach; Valentine’s flag banners blow in the breeze next to Pacific Coast Highway 1 in California.

What people are buying:

• 19% of shoppers plan to buy jewelry for their significant others
• 50% intend to buy candy & chocolates (see chocolate festivals in California)
• 36% plan to buy flowers and dinner out

Where they are buying:

• 37% will spend at discount stores
• 33.6% will head to department store
• 19.3% will shop online for gifts this Valentine’s Day, u
• 17.8% floral shop
• 10.6% jewelry stores
• 6.6% specialty clothing stores

Ways to say  I LOVE YOU:  Ich liebe Dich, Je t’aime, Ikh hob dikh lib or Te amo.  Another way to say I LOVE YOU: Give me all your money, honey!  OR  Can I have the Credit Card?

Are you looking for a way to say those words, “I love you”? Retailers are hoping you say the words, “I do,”
or “I spend, therefore I am. ” Love may be timeless but the way Americans show their love has reached the height of decadence with consumers buying love on credit.  Not everyone is buying into the Valentine theme, and as we discovered when someone asked us to promote their anti-Valentine’s party at a hotel in Huntington Beach, Calif. to celebrate NOT being in love.

Californians are time-bankrupt, however, and what we can’t offer in time & attention we try to make up for with physical gifts. Love is part intention, part emotion, and a whole lot of guilt! With that in mind, it should be no surprise that Valentine’s Day is the top holiday to say it with roses, flowers and cards. It’s predicted that billions will be spent in attempts to convey that message today, Valentine’s Day. But there are two different takes on whether we’ll be spending more to say it this year.

Credit card issuer Visa Inc. last week found consumers surveyed expected to spend 3% less this year than they did last year: an average of $117, down from $121 last year. U.S. consumers added $33.1 billion in debt to their finances in December – of which nearly 60% or $20 billion was credit card debt. That means more money is tied up in debt right now as people try to pull back on spending.

The more optimistic National Retail Federation predicts Americans will spend more to say “I love you”. The research firm says (based on a recent survey) that Americans will spend $126 on average ($17.6 billion total)  for an 8.5% increase from last year’s expenditures.