The High Cost of Love

If you bought that special someone roses for Valentine’s Day this year, you might have noticed that they were more expensive than usual. Or maybe you didn’t: Florists expect that many of their customers buy roses only for Valentine’s Day, and at no other time of the year.

So it's very easy for them to hike their prices. According to a florists’ clearinghouse called BloomNation, a wholesale rose costs a florist in New York City about $1.50 per stem during most of the year. In the middle of February, that rises to about $2.50 per stem. The retail flower shops, not surprisingly, pass that increase along to their customers – and then some. A rose that costs $5 the rest of the year costs more like $8 on Valentine’s Day.

That’s not the only way flowers get more expensive this week. Most delivery services raise their delivery price by four or five dollars for Valentine’s Day too. No one ever said true love would be easy.