© 2009 NCSU Student Media
Quantity, not quality.
How many times has that phrase been uttered? In the current recession, shoppers seem to have adopted the phrase as a mantra. Consumers are sticking more to what they know and love rather than taking a risk on something with which they are not familiar.
This extends to consumers’ Valentine’s Day shopping. There is a return to familiarity and comfort in this time of economic strife.
And what better than the classic comfort food, chocolate?
“I see chocolate as an attainable luxury, unlike a house or car,” said Neisha Gourley, associate manager of Godiva Chocolatier on Glenwood Avenue. Gourley also said that all of the sales for Valentine’s Day have gone up, although there are not as many pre-sales this year.
Gourley said that overall sales have been up just a little, and the store is mostly maintaining its sales.
“There’s not a massive increase, but there is an increase upward,” Gourley said.
According to Gourley, items that were popular last year are selling at around the same rate this year.
“People want what they know they’ll like,” Gourley said. “They’re going more for the classic collections and one new truffle collection is still selling well from being introduced last year.”
Gourley also said that Godiva brought back its Valentine’s Day collection from last year, since there had been demand for it, and that it has been selling well.
The more affluent customers, as well as those who like to splurge, were the ones who tended to purchase more expensive goods such as the G Collection. The G Collection features assorted chocolates with exotic fillings, like Bananas Foster and Caramel Macchiato. The G-Collection is more of a novelty item than a classic, and appeals to more adventurous consumers who have the money to spend on it, Gourley said.
The Godiva website is also catering to the customer on a budget, prominently advertising gifts less than $30 as well as its Valentine’s Day collection of sweets. Many of the items in this section come in a bright pink, heart-shaped box.
Not all chocolate stores are fairing the same, however.
“The recession has definitely hurt business,” said Laura Antonelli, owner of Peche de Chocolat on South Blount Street. “Customers are making smaller purchases, buying a half pound of chocolate instead of one pound.”
Antonelli said customers are viewing chocolate as a treat for special occasions, instead of something special for themselves on which to splurge.
“I have a dedicated clientele, and most of them will cut back on spending,” Antonelli said. “Sixty percent of my revenue is from Valentine’s Day, so it definitely helps out the first quarter of the year.”
Antonelli predicts that she will get just thirty percent of her revenue from Valentine’s Day this year, but the exact amount is yet to be known, since most of her customers purchase chocolate on the last day before the holiday.
Antonelli said that she is selling more dark chocolate than usual. The store carries more high-quality dark chocolate because of customer demand. “People’s perception of chocolate has changed. It’s not just a candy, it has health benefits,” Antonelli said.
Florists in the area have also experienced effects from the recession.
“We have definitely seen a decline over the last year, and we are doing everything we can to accommodate it,” Frank Campisi, manager of Fallon’s Creative Flowers on St. Mary’s Street, said.
This has included offering specials and creating incentives, such as offering free delivery to customers who order online, in an attempt to stimulate sales. Campisi said that he has planned for the holiday to have lower sales, since it is bookended by Friday the thirteenth and President’s Day.
Consumers also seem to be sticking with the preferred flower for the holiday.
Campisi said that since Valentine’s Day is a rose holiday, they are pushing roses at different price points. These range from a dozen wrapped roses for $30 to 100 roses for $400.
Fallon’s website advertises that custom orders start at $100. On the pages designated for Valentine’s Day flowers, most arrangements are red or pink roses, but some arrangements incorporate carnations, chrysanthemums and gerbera daisies.
The recession has even extended to the Valentine’s Day staple of sexy underthings.
“There’s definitely been a decline,” said Jessica Cobb, co-manager of Victoria’s Secret on Glenwood Avenue. “Regular customers have decreased in number, and everyone has been using coupons. If the customers don’t have a coupon, they don’t buy anything.” Cobb said that her store has been doing well, and that Valentine’s Day apparently trumps the recession.
Cobb said that customers are buying the same items, but in less quantity. “If a customer would once buy a bra in every color, now they only buy one or two. If a regular customer used to spend $150 at one time to purchase five bras, they’re now buying only one bra,” Cobb said.
Even in the midst of an economic recession, consumers will continue to spend for their loved ones on special occasions, albeit a bit more conservatively.