Love is in the air as Winnipeggers see their Valentine's get more expensive

Valentine's Day is no joke at Chocolate Zen Bakery.

“We love to spread the love. We love making treats for people. And making people happy. When people taste something as delicious as we make it, they are more than happy to give it to someone else or have it for themselves,” said Chocolate Zen Bakery co-owners Douglas Crane and Betty Lai.

Employees of Beyond Flowers are busy with the fulfillment of orders and also receive visitors. It's the second busiest day of the year for the store, behind Mother's Day.

“We start preparations a week before, prepare all the packages. We order our roses in November to get the best prices,” explained Gloria Sawatzki, owner of Beyond Flowers.

Roses aren't the only thing shoppers will see in red this Valentine's Day, as some shoppers say the price hikes will act as a thorn in their wallets, piercing the heart and draining cash.

“A few years ago they were about $12, maybe $30, now they're $40, $60, and if you want a nice bouquet, it can definitely go up,” Winnipegger told CityNews in an interview.

While people's hearts may still be growing for their partners this Valentine's Day, their wallets may be tightening. Canadians are expected to spend less than $100 on average, according to Leger's survey.

This means more people are asking their loved ones to spend Valentine's Day at home rather than at a restaurant.

“The cost of food logistics has increased. Moving things is really expensive. This has affected the prices of all food categories, including chocolate,” explained Sylvain Charlebois, director of Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Laboratory.

But for some small businesses, the only things customers see in red are hearts and roses.

“The cost of the product is crazy. We try to keep our prices at a good level because we don't want to harass people. Whoever wants to come in and see something, let's make a new friend,” said Crane.