Valentine's Day is a day of strong emotions, but for couples in Argentina are feeling the hurt a little more this year thanks to soaring inflation.
With February 14, shops are renewing expectations of new sales, although to do so they will have to convince amorous shoppers to shell out and ignore hikes of up to 120 percent on last year's prices, a report by the Focus Market consultancy firm has revealed.
Leading the list of increases are flowers, which have risen by 120 percent year-on-year. This increase is linked to "droughts in our country that have generated very large losses of flowers in nurseries in different regions of the country with local production," said Damian Di Pace, director of the consulting firm in charge of the study.
Di Pace also observed that that "dining out, home-delivered breakfasts and dinners had average annual increases of 105 percent."
Plush toys, chocolates and breakfasts remain a classic choice for the holiday. Prices vary according to size, quantity and quality, yet on average, eight-count chocolates (100 grs.) run to as much as 3,900 pesos, while a stuffed animal reading, "I love you," costs 8,900 pesos. Those who want to spring for a bigger gift combo of a flowers, a stuffed animal and a box of chocolates would have to dole out around 9,500 pesos on average, the report revealed.
However, in deciding what to give that special someone, the survey showed that partners preferred to gift experiences: presents like spa visits, picnics, boat trips, etc. appear in 25 percent of cases; breakfasts and dinners at home account for 15 percent, restaurants 15 percent, and flowers and plants 10 percent.
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