• Valentine sales get more ludicrous by the year, but don't pass up a good offer
As an unemployed member of the youth, I often forget what day it is. During one of my mindless scrolls through social media, my attention was caught by a Valentine’s Day advertisement.
“Wait, is it February already?” I wondered. Indeed, it was the first day of February. Yes, Valentine’s Day advertisements and special announcements went up as early as the first day of the month.
I could not help but wonder at the gross commercialisation of one single day of the year. Valentine’s Day is an unofficial holiday, which is observed annually on February 14. Although the modern take on Valentine’s Day is the celebration of love, the original purpose of Saint Valentine’s Day was a Christian feast honouring a Christian Martyr of the same name.
Over the years, the holiday came to be about openly expressing affection to loved ones. Even kids at school get to make cards for their parents or classmates.
However, the emphasis of the day is still romantic love. Lovers are ‘pressured’ into participating by publicly displaying affection through physical and material things.
Chocolates and red roses have and always will be the most in demand items for Valentine’s Day. Other popular gifts that are acceptable as an expression of love on this day include: overnight hotel getaways, fancy dinners, jewellery, cards and stuffed animals.
Anything considered a romantic gift during this season is sold at an inflated price of nearly twice the regular cost. Perishable items like flowers and chocolates double in price as early as the first day of February and are sold on special reduced prices for the rest of the month.
Commercial holidays are nothing new. Christmas is ‘sold’ as a family holiday based on the foundation of gift-giving. From the end of November, Christmas decorations brighten up malls and stores, urging customers to partake in the tradition of buying gifts either for themselves or for others. The same can be said of most holidays, where certain items are marketed as a special way to celebrate that holiday.
The question remains, though, do we partake in such holidays knowing all too well that we are part of a bigger marketing scheme?
Take a Nairobi coffee shop, for instance. This February, for every breakfast, buyers will receive a discount on some handbag.
Valentine sales get more ludicrous by the year. This year, I have seen Valentine specials for rose bushes, cars, pharmaceuticals and basic household items! Don’t get me wrong I find the idea of the sales absurd for lovers' day, but if I see a good sale on items I need, I will partake!
I have never been one to celebrate this crazy holiday. If anything, I find myself drawn to stay indoors as I do not want to get caught up in the hullaballoo happening on the streets. I would much rather buy the flowers for myself a few days later when the florists are desperate to get rid of their stock. As for my partner, I do not make any demands for Valentine’s Day. To us it’s just February 14… Or, as I see it, two weeks till my birthday!