Valentine’s Day isn’t always a bed of roses especially if you’re working it. There’s a lot of time and planning that goes into the big love day to set the scene for romance.
In fact, those working in industries that cater to couples and making the occasion special couldn’t remember the last time they celebrated Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14 like everyone else.
“Never, not for years and years and years – this is how I celebrate,” Rebecca Hunter, the store manager for Crave Cupcakes, said Tuesday.
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Hunter, who was up at 6 a.m. CT, said the most difficult part about the occasion is that it falls on a different day every year, so figuring out how many cupcakes to make is pretty much just an educated guess.
“We decide on how busy the past couple of days were, the weather outside which is absolutely lovely is great for us and hope that we get it right.”
With a line-up wrapped around the counter, staff were icing delicious delights as quickly as they could.
“Our bakers usually start at 5 a.m. Today, they were here by 3 a.m., we baked 90 dozen cupcakes today,” Hunter said.
“Normally, the bake would be done probably by nine in the morning and today they’re still baking.”
From cupcake spots to flower shops, restaurants to even health care – among those we spoke to said they’re used to it and cupid would just have to wait.
“Probably the weekend and we’ll go out for supper, I’m hoping,” Roberta Materie, a laboratory technician at St. Paul’s Hospital, laughed.
For many industries, Valentine’s Day will mark the busiest day of the year.
“We probably will send out about 250 deliveries out the back door and probably about 150 to 200 in the store so it’s pretty crazy,” Jana Ellis, owner of Bill’s House of Flowers, said.
“It’s all day long, I’ve been here since six o’clock this morning wrapping arrangements.”
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Adding to the complexity, the flowers need to be fresh so not a lot of work can be done weeks or even days in advance by the florists.
“We worked all day Sunday to get ready, we stay late. We just keep working until it’s all done,” Ellis said.
It’s no wonder folks were running off their feet on Tuesday, love may be blind but it’s also not cheap. According to one survey, the average Canadian will spend $305 on Valentine’s Day.
It will be all hands on deck at Ayden Kitchen and Bar in downtown Saskatoon. More than 100 couples are expected to wine and dine from its specialty menu.
“There are still some late spots available as well as a few different spots at the bar which normally we don’t reserve the bar but tonight we’re doing it,” Brett Theriault, who’s worked the night for the last decade, said.
“We extended hours a little bit so people can sneak in that romantic dinner.”
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Unlike a set menu, the restaurant is offering a three course menu with options for every course.
“We like providing a little bit of variety and it’s nice because you’ll get couples come in and there’s a few different choices,” Theriault said.
“They’ll kind of order different things and share, that’s what we like to encourage rather than picking one set menu that people have to get.”
A hot bath and some much needed sleep is how many said they planned to recover from all the romance and the big business that comes along with it but that they didn’t feel like they missed out.
“Every day is a day of love right?” Ellis said with a smile.