money Last-minute flower orders for Valentine's Day are expected, not ideal for local florists
On Valentine's Day, an unexpected knock on the door or visitor at work could be a flower delivery.
"They're all looking to see if the flowers are for them," said Jim Schmidt, co-owner of the Hyacinth House in Lansing. "And frankly, [if not] they're jealous."
He said about 80% of their orders for Valentine's Day come in the days right before it. By ordering in advance, though, they can save money and have a better selection to choose from.
If anyone could see the look on someone's face when they receive flowers, "they would never forget to order flowers," Schmidt said.
Ordering early means better prices
Abby Ording, who works at B/A Florist in East Lansing, expressed a similar story, adding, "Valentine's Day is one of those holidays people don't really think about until last minute."
However, prices for flowers go up around February 14 she said, so ordering sooner could mean a better price. Flowers in Michigan are often ordered from Florida, California, Canada and South America, she said.
Ording said on an average day, their shop has about 20 deliveries. However, Valentine's Day is typically a couple hundred, so they hire seasonal workers to come in the week of the holiday to help out.
The most popular order? A dozen roses
Ryan Koehn from B's Floral in Charlotte said they usually have three delivery drivers for Valentine's Day. A lot of their sales are flower arrangements that have red and white.
Koehn said this year's orders are also, "following the normal style of last-minute," he said. "It's a man thing, you know."
But Schmidt said women ordering flowers for men or men ordering flowers for men is becoming much more common too, "as it should be."
The most popular order of the day is a dozen roses, he said. The flower shop ordered their flowers for Valentine's Day in November 2021.
Currently, the Hyacinth House has a $59.99 special for a dozen roses with greenery arranged in a vase, including the delivery fee in Lansing or East Lansing. So far, the store has about 500 orders of the special Schmidt said.
The same bouquet costs about $80 plus delivery from B's Floral and about $85 (including East Lansing delivery) from B/A Florist.
Ording from B/A Florist said lilies and tulips are also popular flowers purchased for Valentine's Day.
B/A Florist is exclusively doing curbside pickup and delivery on Valentine's Day to better manage foot traffic in the store.
READ MORE: Here's how to have a socially distanced Valentine's Day
To order flowers or learn more about these florists, visit BAFloristOnline.com, BsFloralInc.com and HyacinthHouseFlowers.com.
Sophia Lada is a news assistant at the Lansing State Journal. Contact her at slada@lsj.com or 517.377.1065. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_lada.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Greater Lansing flower shops offer deals for Valentine's Day
