As Valentine's Day approaches, college students - notorious for being on a limited budget - continue looking for the perfect gift for that "special someone."
For those seeking traditional gift items, Hallmark stores around the country have stuffed animals, sonnet-filled cards and heart-shaped candy boxes.
"I buy gifts, sometimes just a few things for friends," said Amy Jukam, a junior occupational therapy major. "I don't spend a whole lot of money, though, I spend like $25 on average."
According to a Jan. 28 article at money.cnn.com, a survey conducted by Wal-Mart found that 70 percent of consumers plan to spend an average of $51 on Valentine's Day gifts this year.
Though some would assume college-age people have tighter wallets, they are expected to be the biggest spenders, buying gifts that average $92.
According to Cindy Nistor, manager of Tina's Hallmark at the McKinley Mall, there is hope for those forced to be thrifty on Valentine's Day.
"With most customers, it depends upon their budget as to what they buy, but we do offer several special promotions," she said.
Nistor said that out of all shoppers, men seem to be the least budget-conscious. "Men don't seem to look at prices," she said.
Statistics from the Wal-Mart survey support Nistor's observation, stating that men plan to spend an average of $63 compared to the average of $39 women plan to spend. Also, 75 percent of men planned to buy Valentine's Day gifts this year, as opposed to 70 percent of women making purchases for the holiday.
Amy Dean, assistant manager of Tina's Hallmark, said men are more concerned with themes than prices.
"Most men will buy anything that says 'I love you' or has the words 'wife' or 'girlfriend' on it," Dean said. "Most men also tend to use the traditional themes of red and roses when they make their purchases."
Whether male or female, however, not all students approach the holiday with enthusiasm.
Daniel Satunton, a freshman music performance major, said Valentine's Day has little to do with love.
"Valentine's Day is a capitalistic scam," Staunton said. "Why would anyone purchase a greeting card, anyway? You're only paying for someone else's poetry."
Tarcio Barbosa, a freshman business major, said he prefers not to participate in the holiday excitement.
"Valentine's Day is a female holiday, and men are forced to spend their money on their wives and girlfriends for no particular reason," Barbosa said. "I don't like Valentine's Day at all."
There are those who enjoy the theme of love that surrounds Valentine's Day but believe the holiday deals less with romance and more with retail.
Ashley Bovenzi, a sophomore majoring in American studies, said that as an employee of Wegmans, she witnesses the rush during the season and thinks consumers should not think of Valentine's Day as the only time to purchase items generally associated with the day.
"I know that people will be rushing around Wegmans at the last minute," Bovenzi said. "I like Valentine's Day, but it has become entirely too commercialized. People haven't learned that you can buy a box of chocolates anytime."
Suzanne Volcy, a freshman psychology major, agreed. "It seems too commercialized nowadays, I'm kind of indifferent towards it. I probably would buy gifts, but I'd try to put more creativity in it, because you can go to any store, there's just so much out there."
Local flower shops have no complaints about the "season of love," considering the amount of revenue generated from Valentine's Day flower sales.
Sandy Bauer, florist and co-owner of B'looms of Buffalo, a shop in Blasdell, explained the sources of roses for her store over the holiday season.
"We don't get our flowers directly from the grower, so we're at the mercy of a wholesaler," Bauer said. "Flower wholesalers raise their prices every Valentine's Day to make a greater profit, so we need to raise our prices to insure that we don't lose money. After all, we do have to pay the wholesaler for the flowers they provide."
Andrea Starks, a staff member of Woyshner's Flower Shop of Lackawanna, agreed that retail prices reflect the prices of floral providers.
"We buy our roses directly from the grower," Starks said. "The prices are raised by the growers, but the roses have an extra week of life in them due to us purchasing our roses directly from them."
According to Starks, the trend of men as the least frugal shoppers is also visible in flower sales.
"We also make silk floral arrangements and balloon bouquets, which are quite popular gifts," she said. "Our male customers are impulsive and can often be seen buying these gifts because they're not as common. The balloon bouquets are often a hit."
However, for the average college student, balloon bouquets, long-stemmed roses and fancy silk flower arrangements may not be an option, and more frugal displays of affection may be necessary.
Charity Wahler, a freshman music performance major, said that Valentine's Day is not all about how much money one spends.
"A Valentine's Day gift should be from the heart; not from the wallet," Wahler said. "Gifts from the heart are more meaningful, and I would rather spend time with a loved one than spend money."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
