the great valentines day scam

usually i dont deal with valentines day as its just another day of blatant commercialism and consumerism. being married ive always thought we had our own day (anniversary) and dont need to celebrate valentines with the other chumps.

this year i figured what the hell, ill get her a dozen roses at work. KA-CHING!

on our anniversary i got 1doz Gelati roses sent to her at work. cost, $70 delivered.

i order 1doz red roses for valentines, and get quoted $130. i asked why are they so dear, did the price get jacked up for valentines and the woman told me the suppliers upped the price. (either thats true, or they are passing the buck to deny any guilt - either way someon is making double profits)

i figure what the hell, i havent done valentines in like 10 years (we been together almost 15) and order anyway while thinking how much she'll love the thought.
i told them what to put on the card but it arrived blank anyway.
flowers were "B grade", as the petals had slight black colour around the tips of the petals which is a sign they been in the fridge too long (its kinda like a freezer burn but caused by the storage in a cold fridge to make them last)

usually i deal with a different florist, but for valentines i picked this shop because theyre right next door to her work and since i ordered on the morning of valentines day it'd be easiest + quickest.

Gotta say, im a bit pissed about the whole thing and i rekon ill go back to my old rule of only celebrating our anniversary.


if petrol prices increase 5c p/litre when its a long weekend people rant and rave about paying $1 more for their tank of fuel.

but when a florist DOUBLES its prices on valentines and supplies what i'd say is B grade product everyone just opens their wallet and close their mind coz its all for cupid and his stupid little bow/arrow.

-----------
lets compare:

store #1:
1doz roses, $70 regular price. came inside a white ceramic vase that had a moist foam block, and the flowers were immaculate. the most stunning arrangement and perfect flowers ive ever seen.
i get SMS notification by the driver once they are delivered, card filled out properly.

they were ordered for our anniversary at 2.30pm and delivered into the city by 4pm (90min later)

valentines:
store #2, next to wifey's work:

1doz roses, $130. came in a crappy thin plastic pot and the foam block was bone dry.
card was NOT filled out. no sms notification.
B grade roses with slight black marks on outer most leaves indicating they'd been kept in storage (fridge)

still a nice arrangement, but definately B grade by my standards.

i know part of it is different florists that i'd used, but the price difference was just astounding AND they supply B grade product..
wife loved them anyway, but me being well, me. i was looking at what value i got for the extra money i paid.

so who else bent over and got their wallet probed by a florist on valentines?

[edit on 15/2/08 by Obliv_au]

But you gotta remember what Valentine's Day is all about. It's what I like to call PDA Day. People have one day a year that they can get away with any kind of PDA, which is really just an excuse for foreplay, for lack of a better term. We all know what it leads to, and quite frankly, I think we should just bypass all of the buying of stuff, and get right down to the nitty gritty of the issue.

JUST DO THE DEED ALREADY!!

TheBorg

[edit on 16-2-2008 by TheBorg]

reply to post by TheBorg


dude, you hit a home run with that one.

thats the best home truth ive heard in a long time, now we just gotta convince the women

Originally posted by TheBorg
But you gotta remember what Valentine's Day is all about. It's what I like to call PDA Day. People have one day a year that they can get away with any kind of PDA, which is really just an excuse for foreplay, for lack of a better term. We all know what it leads to, and quite frankly, I think we should just bypass all of the buying of stuff, and get right down to the nitty gritty of the issue.

JUST DO THE DEED ALREADY!!

TheBorg

[edit on 16-2-2008 by TheBorg]

I couldn't agree more. Roses are nice...but they don't count as foreplay.

reply to post by AccessDenied


Nope, but that's what the chocolate's for. If I go out to buy stuff, I get the flowers as an "appetizer", followed by the chocolate at about noon, for a "mood enhancer". And then as a garnishment, upon reaching home, some nice lingerie to make the evening go smoother for the both of us.

TheBorg

P.S. That's IF I was buying stuff on V-Day, which I don't. Not anymore.

reply to post by TheBorg

OH My! Chocolate and lingerie...
Now that makes for some good _______.
See Borg? I'm minding my P's and Q's.

reply to post by AccessDenied


Always. I was just stating what I would do when it comes to buying stuff on V-Day. If I had that special someone to buy for, I probably would have just bought her dinner at a great restaurant, where we'd go eat, and then take off for a nice quiet night cuddling at home. But color me red with envy... because I would have LOVED for that to have happened.

TheBorg

reply to post by TheBorg


Well you have great ideas! Perhaps you will get to use them very soon.
My gosh who wouldn't want an evening like that?
Must find a great Trekkie fan there Borg...

A single rose is basically $10 here in Aus. It's just silly.

I'm all for adding a second day each year for romancing my joy. July 14th would fit my calendar... to feel (censored to keep humans from knowing how much, too much, too soon) LOL.



Johnny in slimmer times...

Vic

Hear ye, Hear ye ! ToDAY you will ... like mindless sheep ... open your wallets and pay money you can't afford and which you very probably resent having to pay ... to order ... as decreed .. because you have been deliberately intimidated into falling into line by Big Business, the media and the sheer blind obedience of the other sheep to these ridiculous and meaningless 'Days'.

I resent it, always have. I don't like being told to appreciate a sweetheart, spouse, Mother, Father, etc. on a particular 'day'.

Let's face it, Christmas is the big one for retailers.

But that only comes once a year.

Easter's huge in spending terms

And in the US there's Thanksgiving.

Most buy several birthday gifts for friends a family, year through.

But retailers want more !

So they bully people into participating (spending) on Fathers' Day.

Similarly on Mothers' Day.

And then there's Valentines' Day.

On occasion, I've received several flower arrangements for Valentines' Day. Several hundred dollars worth of unnaturally grown, dyed, refrigerated flowers .. count them, it's as if they were gold plated: x-number roses, x-number 'lesser' variety, x-number sprays of 'Hawaiian Wedding Veil ... and masses of green stuff to fill it up ... all arranged in a mass-produced vase and swathed in tissue and bows with the finishing touch a card of which the most dominant feature is the the name and detail of the florist

What do you do when you've received several hundred dollars worth of flowers from men who've paid a substantial part of their weekly income for them ?

You don't love all of them. You many love none of them.

What do you say when they phone to ask, proudly and excitedly: ' Did you get / like my flowers ? '

You reply (in between taking business calls or dealing with clients), ' Oh yes .. thank you ! They're lovely !' (if you were honest, you'd add:
'You shouldn't have ..', but it's never the same as the movies when you say it in real life, is it ?)

Next question: ' So when can I see you ? '

What do you say ... ' You can't ' ? Or, ' Never ' ?

Instead, you make 'noises' ... ' Ummm ', ' Errr ', ' Mmmmm' and then, 'Oh, sorry, but I have a call on another line and I really have to take it. Thanks again .. they're lovely ... lovely ... '. You feel bad. They feel bad. You hate feeling 'obligated', 'guilty', but still do.

People in love give each other gifts all the time: smiles, blown kisses, reassuring rubs on the back, loyalty, faithfulness, sympathy, a single dandelion, a much-sought book .. even cars, holidays, jewels and babies.

Do they need a Day upon which they are 'told', bullied, coerced, blackmailed or shamed into participating in a world-wide: 'Buy Your Loved One Gifts Today ! '

Why do they ? I don't believe they do.

And what of those who very much love each other .. mature love that's withstood all nature of trials ? What if they just aren't feeling very 'loving' on Retailer Imposed Valentines' Day ? Most have been there. I certainly have. There have been Valentines' Days when what I've wanted to 'give' has been a lump of 3x2 across the head or knee-caps. And I'm sure it's been mutual on occasion ! But the pressure to conform with yucky, saccharine 'Valentines' Day is just so strong, isn't it ? Gee, the world might end or something worse may happen if you don't conform ! So you buy a card .. preferably blank because you just can't stomach 'gifting' the Annoying One with one of those seven flowery pages filled with mush types ... and you scrawl, 'Happy Valentine's Day' (big writing, so it won't look so arctic) and attach it to something 'practical' .. then leave it on the table and disown it. As in, 'There .. you got your Valentine but don't expect me to gush or forget what you did, because you're not forgiven just because of this stupid damn 'Day' thing.

And he does likewise .. although from my experience, men (even if they're in the middle of an affair with the woman at work) tend towards the mushy Helen Steiner Whats-her-name variety cards that almost drip icing-sugar .. because society has whipped men into terrified obedience of 'the Days'. My father was a nervous wreck and I've seen the same terror and uncertainty in the eyes of my own men .. an eager-to-please and 'do the right thing' expression, tinged with 'Why exactly am I doing this ? '

Can't count the lunch-hours I've spent in the lead-up to Valentines' Day, peering anxiously into jeweller's window displays .. looking at cuff-links inlaid with Pharoahs' teeth and exotic rock, etc., with the all-important 'Made in Italy' or France halmarks. Ridiculous. My men only wear cuff-links for weddings and funerals anyway. But you buy them and they try to look thrilled, when you both know they'd rather have received a life's subscription to a men's magazine or a set of new tyres.

It's insane. And what if .. when the relationship is still tender and fragile .. one spends five times the amount as the other party in this forced ritual, Valentines' Day? Because there is always that invisible set of scales in the background, weighing and sifting the measure of the 'love' symbolised by the gift. He/she who spends more 'loves' the most ? The whole thing's frought with potential for hurt-feelings/remorse/anger: ( ' I knew I should have spent the extra half mil and bought him the Ferrari instead of the Volkswagon ! Damn! ). Or .. you buy him the antique signet ring with the heraldic-crest, imported from England and said to be four hundred years old, in old rose gold and weighing 35 grams .. while he buys you a budget pack of 'old-lady knickers' from the sale-bin at Target and hands them to you still in the Target bag, complete with receipt: ' The woman at the cash-register said you can change them if they don't fit.' Oh yeah .. great Valentines' Day and 'celebration of love' this is turning out to be !

I don't like or enjoy any forced celebration. I resent being pushed and shoved into 'showing emotion'. Like to do it when the mood takes me .. not when it's designed to fill retailers' pockets and not 'just because everyone else does it/is doing it '.

Am I the only one who notices the look of sheer pain and terror on people's faces on the day before 'Mothers' Day' and 'Fathers' Day' ?

The tv and newspapers, magazines and stuff jammed into letter-boxes virtually demands that people get out there and buy a new lawn-mower or set of power tools or holiday in Fiji or new house on Mothers' and Fathers' days. Retailers have NO shame: they scream into people's living rooms that Mum would just adore to have a hydraulic hoist .. and Dad would kill for a new iron or waffle-maker.

And what about the unemployed ? Their kids have been inundated with commercials to Buy, Buy, Buy for the 'Days' .. and they expect poor Dad, who's been unemployed for six months and is about to lose the roof over his family's heads .. to go buy that new caravan for Mum on 'her Day' .. because gee, the tv is saying that 'Everyone Else is .. '.

Poor guy goes to the local corner-store or petrol station and 'casually' looks to see how much the artificially-dyed, chemical-smelling 'mini-roses' are. Too much. But he slinks into a corner and counts the small-change he dug from his 'emergency fund' at the bottom of his tool-box. Then squares his shoulders and walks into the house carrying those flowers, presents them to his wife (who's as stressed out about 'real life' as he is) and they play the role .. live the 'Day' .. for the sake of the kids.

Makes my heart break every damn 'Mothers' Day' and 'Fathers' Day'.

One day, I hope, people will just go on strike .. will ignore the tyranny of Big Business and it's 'Days'. People don't need to be 'told' when to show love.