Economy makes profit from love

Candy and cards filled the stores the day after Christmas, signaling the start of another marketing campaign for a holiday – Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day is a holiday with two different sides to it – love and candy. It’s also a holiday which tends to bring about the argument of whether it’s merely a commercialized holiday.

“It has become more commercialized,” sophomore Laine Greblunas said. “It’s not so much between a spouse or significant other, as it’s more like ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ to your mom or fellow classmate. It’s not so much about love and spouses and romance; it’s more about showing love to random people.”

Howard Wilson, owner of Wilson Florist in Vermillion, said it is one of his biggest days of the year.

“It’s one of our four major revenue-producing days,” Wilson, who has owned his floral shop for 54 years, said. “But I would say our revenue has decreased over the years.”

Greblunas said she bought Valentine’s Day cards for her mom and grandma.

“That’s about as into it as I’ll get,” Greblunas said. “I will probably have no romance on Valentine’s Day.”

However, it’s not just the stores who have made Valentine’s Day more commercialized, Greblunas said. She said she thinks the people are responding to their marketing campaigns.

“It definitely goes both ways,” Greblunas said. “Yes, it’s marketed that way, but we just eat it up.”

Wilson said he hasn’t advertised a Valentine’s Day special for years.

“I don’t want to have to hire inexperienced help who won’t give the service our customers expect,” Wilson said.

Greblunas said her mom has told her stories from when she was a child that show just how commercialized Valentine’s Day has become.

“We’re OK with sending our children to school with decorated boxes to get Valentine’s in,” Greblunas said. “When I’ve talked to my mom about it, she said they never made boxes or did anything at school when she was a kid.”

Junior Josh Howerton agreed that Valentine’s Day is a commercialized holiday.

“Every day should be about love,” Howerton said. “There shouldn’t have to be commercials to promote a holiday. Even if you’ve only seen one commercial advertising something for Valentine’s Day, then it’s commercialized.”

Howerton’s girlfriend, sophomore Lindsay Wrinkle, said Valentine’s Day isn’t the only day a person should make a significant other feel special.

“I hate the fact that people think the way to prove their love is to buy their significant other stuff and that it’s the only time to prove their love,” Wrinkle said. “It’s a special day, but you can have more than one of those a year.”

Wrinkle said she blamed the media for making the holiday more commercialized.

“When you start getting Valentine’s Day stuff out at Christmas, there’s a problem,” Wrinkle said.

Reach reporter Kayla Prasek at

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