Penny-pinching romance puts Valentine's florists in the red

Recession seems to mean saying 'I love you' without flowers. Florists report orders are down almost 70 per cent on last year - and those who do order want special deals, like rock-bottom delivery rates to Sheung Shui.

And florists are not the only ones feeling love-related penny-pinching; some companies are feeling compelled to spend more on marketing to try to entice customers.

The supervisor of Ngau Tau Kok florist Fa May Yee, Cheung Yuk-mui, said orders were only a third the level of last year.

'We can only hope for more walk-in customers on February 13 and 14,' she said. 'The most extreme case was a man who wanted to pay HK$300 for a flower delivery to Sheung Shui. The price he asked for is even cheaper than normal days.' The shop turned down his request.

The store used to offer discounts if its customers placed their orders before February 10. It extended the offer until the 12th this year, but was still unable to boost numbers. 'We definitely can't meet the sales figure of last year. Other florists said their sales have halved,' Ms Cheung said.

Ambassador Flowers & Gifts Design international marketing manager Julie Yan Wai-lan said the company believed Valentine's Day sales would be down between 10 and 20 per cent compared to last year.