LETHBRIDGE – As the economy around them continues to struggle, local businesses looking to make extra money on Valentine’s Day remain focused on the task at hand.
Last year, Valentine’s Day fell on a Saturday, and this year it’s simply shifted to Sunday. But the question is, is having Valentine’s Day fall on the weekend good or bad for business?
And, the universal day of love doesn’t even get the weekend to itself with Family Day following closely on Monday.
“This year we might see a little bit of a difference just because it’s on a long weekend Sunday. So I do think that people, having that opportunity, will take it to go out of town, maybe go stay at a bed and breakfast,” said Chelsea Longbotham, owner of Funky Petals in Downtown Lethbridge.
However, the drop in sales seems exclusive to flower shops. When it comes to other business, such as restaurants, that get more traffic this time of year, the holidays compliment each other, rather than bring numbers down.
“With Valentine’s falling on a Sunday, we’re seeing that we have a lot of Valentine reservations for Saturday and for Sunday,” explained Angel Harper, co-owner of Mocha Cabana. “And with Valentine’s falling on our Alberta Family Day weekend, we’re expecting to be busy Saturday, Sunday, and perhaps Monday with families choosing to go out.”
Regardless of how business goes on Feb. 14, many owners admit that the days surrounding Valentine’s Day have never generated more traffic than Mother’s Day, under three months away. This year it’s on Sunday, May 8.
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