Weak economy can't squelch Valentine's Day spending

You say that gasoline prices are putting a drain on your finances?

You say the cost to heat your home this winter is forcing you to decide between steak and hamburger for dinner?

You say you have to scrimp and save to make your next mortgage payment?

Well Valentine's Day is coming. And no matter what you're saying now, you'd better be saying to the one you love, "This is for you" on Thursday.

That dozen roses will cost from $50 to $70, and people will pay it, said Avelina Jaimes, an assistant manager at Town and Country Gardens in Elgin. And it could cost more if guys buy the teddy bears, boxes of candy or bath and body products that come along with it.

"This is the one day when the economy has nothing to do with how much people spend for Valentine's Day," Jaimes said. "Long-stemmed roses are expensive. People pay more for them this time of year because we get 99 percent of them from South America. That's where the majority of other florists get their roses from, too."

Since the Day of Love falls on Thursday this year a lot of roses will be wrapped and delivered, she said.

The theory most florists follow is, if Valentine's Day falls during the week, flowers will be the gift of choice. If it falls on a weekend, then many couples will celebrate with a romantic dinner at a favorite restaurant.

"In the Elgin area, we'll make more than 500 deliveries that day," she said. "We have about 16 drivers making them."

She and her co-workers are counting on theory to hold true.

Julie Ingoglia doesn't think too much about it. She's the general manager of Francesca's Campagna restaurant in West Dundee. For years, her tables have been filled on Feb. 14 -- along with the days before and after.

The diners will pay anywhere from $60 to $80 for food and drink of their romantic meal, and still feel generous enough to leave sizable tips.

"Some restaurants increase their prices for that day," she said. "We don't, though.

"We already have reservations for that night. We have been getting them since the beginning of February. For a lot of people, a romantic dinner is a part of Valentine's Day."

They've noticed a drop in business in the beginning of this year because of the economy, "but we'll be busy on Valentine's Day," she said

And so will Corey Perlman and his employees at D and M Perlman Fine Jewelry in West Dundee. Men will still spend hundreds -- or thousands -- of dollars on diamonds and rubies for their wives and girlfriends.

"Heart-shaped jewelry is always popular for Valentine's Day," he said.

"Pendants, charm bracelets, anything that has a heart on it."

Instead of planning ahead to buy jewelry, like many do at Christmas, men decide at the last minute on Valentine's Day to stop in a jewelry store, Perlman said.

And a shaky economy won't steer them in another direction.