Putting a price on love

By Rafael Flores, Staff Reporter |

Valentine’s Day is known as a commercial holiday throughout the nation. According to thebalance.com, Valentine’s shopping contributed $19.6 billion to the economy.

Reports say that half of the U.S. population partakes in buying gifts. In 2015, 55 percent of those shoppers spent $1.8 billion on candy, 44.9 percent spent $1 billion on greeting cards, 35 percent spent $3.7 billion on an evening out, 35 percent spent $2 billion on flowers, and 19 percent spent $4.7 billion on jewelry, according to the National Retail Federation.

Students at Amarillo College also said they plan to purchase Valentine’s gifts for their loved ones. “I want to go with flowers, just to express how valuable she is to me,” Byishimo Muhorana, a computer science major, said.

According to Juan Soto, a business major, shopping for his girlfriend is easy because he knows exactly what she wants. “In my opinion, any day could be Valentine’s Day,” Soto said.

A few students said they plan to celebrate with baking get-togethers; while others said they look forward to buying teddy bears and Valentine’s cards.

Some students said they do not expect to go shopping for gifts because they prefer to give something they have made. Jennifer Grantham, a nursing major, plans to give her boyfriend of six months a jar filled with a collection of letters she has been writing daily to him.

“I think it’s more personal when someone makes something instead of buying something,” Grantham said.

Several students who do not have significant others said they still intend to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

“I think for a single person, you can watch romantic movies or hang out with your girlfriends,” Kenzie Werford, a nursing major, said.

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