Love is in the air as Winnipeggers see increased Valentine’s costs
Valentine’s Day is no joke at Chocolate Zen Bakery.
“We love to spread the love. We love making treats for people. And making people happy. When people taste something as good as what we make it makes them just as happy to give it away to somebody else or have it just for themselves,” said Douglas Krahn and Betty Lai, co-owners of Chocolate Zen Bakery.
Over at Beyond Flowers, staff are busy fulfilling orders while also accommodating walk-ins. It’s the second busiest day of the year for the shop, right after Mother’s Day.
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“We start prepping the week before, getting all the packaging ready. The roses, we actually order in November to get the best pricing,” explained Gloria Sawatzky, owner of Beyond Flowers.
Roses aren’t the only thing shoppers will be seeing red this Valentine’s Day as some shoppers say price increases are acting as a thorn, piercing through the heart of their wallets and bleeding money out of them.
“Quite a few years ago, they were about $12, maybe $30 now they are $40, $60, and definitely up if you want a good bouquet,” said one Winnipegger CityNews spoke to.
While people’s hearts might be still growing for their partners this Valentine’s Day, their wallets might be shrinking. Canadians on average are expected to spend just under $100 according to a survey from Leger.
It means more people will be asking their significant others to be their valentine at home rather than at a restaurant.
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“Food logistics have increased in costs. It’s really costing more to move things around. That has impacted prices generally for all food categories including chocolate,” explained Sylvain Charlebois, the director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.
But for some small businesses, the only thing they hope consumers see in red are hearts and roses.
“The cost of goods is just crazy. We try to stay pretty level with our pricing because we don’t want to gouge people. Anybody who wants to come in and try something, let’s make a new friend,” said Krahn.
