Tales of a “Tent Person”

Posted by jpwilliams on February 17, 2009

I was rather tired of being one of the “tent people” at valentines. What I am talking about is the evening of Valentines Day Eve or the morning of Valentines Day standing in that tent that Kroger and other stores setup in the parking lot for Valentines flowers, candy and gifts. Usually this tent is filled with men trying to get their wives or significant other a Valentines gift and flowers. I know, I know, we should plan things better. We can’t help it, it is just kinda encoded in our male DNA to wait until the last possible moment for that sort of thing. I usually do my Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve as well.

Well this year I decided to move out of the tent! So about a week before Valentines Day I found a Hot Deal on our coupon site for 18 assorted roses with a box of chocolate delivered from 1-800 Flowers. Eureka!!! I can get my wife a beautiful assortment of roses AND chocolate and never have to worry about being a “tent person” again! So, I ordered the flowers and was even able to make it a delivery date of Valentines Day. I have never ordered flowers from a vendor like this before, I have once or twice in my life ordered FTD and that is what I was expecting this time. You know, the guy showing up about mid day in a little uniform with a vase of flowers, box of chocolate and a nice card written in a hand that is legible instead of my chicken scratch.

WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

How the budget-conscious can dazzle their darlings

Posted by DBiles on February 9, 2009

DYLAN BILES TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST
Published: February 7, 2009

It is one of the most common tales I’ve heard around the office the past couple of weeks. People on our site (or even just fellow employees at DealTaker) have been puzzling over how to adequately honor their sweetheart for Valentine’s Day considering that they can’t spend as much as they would like to or as much as they have in the past.

As Americans tighten their purse strings, one of the easiest places to cut back is on frivolous spending. Anyone who has forgotten to buy their loved one a gift will tell you that Valentine’s Day spending cannot be considered frivolous.

But for the budget-conscious readers out there who have to be feeling a bit like Cupid and the Valentine’s Grinch are in a cage match right about now, there are ways to dazzle your darling and still be able to afford to feed yourself between now and then.

When it comes to jewelry (for him or for her), you would be surprised how much you can get for your money right now. Chances are if you walk into a department store you won’t see it, but online stores are cutting some crazy deals on gold, silver and diamonds right now. With everything from 30 percent to 50 percent off clearance prices to one-time deals, jewelry stores are making it easy for you to look like you dropped some cash but stay under $100.

This week I have showed friends and family a list of Valentine’s Day deals that were put together on our Web site and, by a wide margin, people were most impressed with just how much money could be saved on jewelry right now. The point is, don’t be afraid to look in this direction simply because it is normally a big ticket item.

Now, when it comes to the flowers, the advice is a little bit counterintuitive. We are very much an “early bird catches the worm” society, so waiting until the last minute is tough advice to follow. In the case of flowers, the companies are expecting that you’ll be waiting so they will often save some of their best deals for these days. They know you’ll be spending money, so they are doing everything they can to make sure that you spend it with them.

So when it comes to your flower delivery this week, there are three basic rules of thumb. Do not make a purchase unless you can achieve two out of these three:

Number 1: Don’t pay full price. Flower shops have traditionally raised their prices during this week and, while you’ll very likely pay more for roses, there are plenty of flowers that you can find a great deal on.

Number 2: Don’t pay full price for delivery. You’ll very likely have to pay something for delivery, but you can find 50 percent off shipping at major chains and you can negotiate with mom and pop stores very easily.

Number 3: Be unique. Everyone buys roses. Find other types of flowers. Not only will the prices be better but the recipient will feel as though you put some thought into it, too.

If flowers and jewelry don’t really seem right, remember that you can put together lots of small items in a theme (trinkets that are reminders of happy moments you’ve had together).

Even writing a letter explaining why you are glad to be celebrating this Valentine’s Day with someone can go over incredibly well.

If you are spending money, remember that you don’t have to spend as much as you might have thought. If you aren’t spending money then remember there is no substitute for a little bit of thought.