04 Feb Why Do Roses Cost More on Valentine’s Day?
A gift of roses is symbolic of love and affection, making them the flower of choice for Valentine’s Day. Your customers have probably noticed that there is a sharp rise in flower prices over the holiday. So why do roses cost more on Valentine’s Day?
An experiment was conducted to see just how big the price difference is and what causes it. Bouquets of a dozen red roses were purchased from five different online florists every week over the course of twelve months, and the prices were recorded. The results showed that the price of red roses fluctuated greatly throughout the year.
February saw the highest price for roses at almost $50 for a bouquet. The prices were at their lowest in August, when a bouquet would go for about $30. At first glance, it would be easy to assume that the prices are higher in February because that is when demand is highest and florists take advantage of that to turn a profit, but a closer look at the industry shows that there are other factors at work.
Cultivating Roses Is Hard Work
Flowers are an agricultural product and are highly perishable. They have to be farmed and harvested with expert planning well in advance so that the flowers are ready to be shipped at just the right time. The Christmas season shows a slight uptick in the demand for roses, and then the growers have just under two months to make sure that their February orders are filled. The February season has a particularly high demand for long-stemmed roses, which means that the production methods have to be changed.
Flower farms can’t increase their production rate in the same way that a factory would. In order to meet the increased demand, more labor must be hired to harvest the roses one stem at a time. The timing is also important because roses cannot be stockpiled. They have to be sent to the wholesalers immediately after they are picked. The costs of all this planning and execution are passed on to the consumer.
All of this only happens if the weather cooperates. If the farm is hit by a drought or a storm, the supply will be reduced and the limited number of flowers that are available will be sold at even higher prices.
Growing Seasons Matter
In the United States, Valentine’s Day falls on one of the coldest months of the year. Roses don’t grow in cold weather, so they have to be shipped in from other countries. Most of the flowers sold in the United States during February come from Ecuador, Kenya, or Columbia.
Rose prices drop during summer months because local growers are able to enter the market. They flood the market with cheaply produced roses, and the prices drop accordingly.
Valentine’s Day Is Too Short
The volume of flowers required to meet the demand for this one day is incredibly high. Ensuring that the demand is met on that particular day is a logistical nightmare that brings together field hands, cargo planes, truckers, and customs officials across several continents. Everything must be perfectly timed. If the roses arrive too early, they’ll start to wilt, and people want to buy fresh roses. If the flowers arrive the day after Valentine’s Day, nobody will be interested in buying them and the florists will be stuck with stock that they can’t move.
Approximately 250 million roses are grown each year just for Valentine’s Day. Making sure that all these flowers are delivered within 24 hours costs money, as growers cover the costs of meeting the high demand under difficult conditions.
Saving Money on Valentine’s Day Flowers
Encourage customers to order in advance to get the best deal on Valentine’s Day flowers. Research shows that the prices start to rise in mid-January and continue rising all the way up to February 14th. Placing your rose order as early as January 15th could mean significant savings.
Orange County Wholesale Flowers is a premier supplier of high-quality fresh cut flowers to buyers in our community and nationwide for the past 35 years. We offer a large selection of roses. Register and start your order today.
