The Russians stopped borrowing money for Valentine's Day

Image by skeeze from Pixabay 

On the eve of the holiday of February 14, marketers literally provoke people to additional financial expenses. Many consumers use beautiful phrases such as “value your soul mate, friend, girlfriend” and go to great lengths - they spend all their savings, make purchases on credit, borrow from banks and microfinance organizations (MFIs). Interestingly, more than half of microloan disbursements are made by borrowers with a maximum debt burden (PIT) of more than 50%, and men get into debt in 80% of cases. MK found out how much Russians are ready to spend in 2020 on Valentine's Day and what the money will be used for.

Russians stopped borrowing money for Valentine's Day

Even 25 years ago in Russia no one knew about the existence of Valentine's Day. The holiday has Catholic roots and has traditionally been celebrated in countries with relevant religious traditions. On this day, it is customary to give loved ones various gifts, flowers, sweets, toys and cards with wishes of love - valentines. St. Valentine began to conquer the minds of romantically-minded Russians only in the early 90s of the 20th century. And this did not happen at all as a result of the mass love of the Russian population. No matter how cynical it sounds, the interest in an earlier unknown date was fueled by numerous traders who realized that you can make good money from feelings. Many of them significantly increased their sales, and one more was added to the shock trading days - such as September 1 and March 8. So love is love, but for many merchants and marketers (especially for services, perfumes, pastry shops, flower shops) February 14th was a professional holiday.

Attraction of limited generosity

Domestic consumers turned out to be greedy for advertising slogans and appeals, so it is not surprising that some citizens celebrate this day, and some take loans or loans for gifts. Last year, according to Evotor, a manufacturer of online cash registers, on February 14, 3.3 thousand rubles were spent on average. in Russia and 7 thousand rubles. in Moscow. Obviously, men bear the greatest expenses.

A romantic dinner in a restaurant is one of the classic options for celebrating Valentine's Day. Last year, Russians spent on average almost 1 thousand rubles on trips to cafes and restaurants on February 14, residents of Moscow - about 2.2 thousand rubles. “On this day, we are seeing an increase in the average bill and the share of tables booked in advance,” said Maxim Polzikov, CEO of Ginza Project, at MK. According to him, many restaurants have become traditional places for dates, so their owners are betting on this day: they are preparing surprises and a special “romantic” program for guests.

Of course, the holiday is popular mainly among young people. For many, not receiving a congratulation from a loved one is a shame, or even fraught with a break in relations. However, if you take a wide age range, it turns out that one in five does not plan to buy anything on February 14, and 37% are ready to limit themselves to an amount within a thousand rubles. This is evidenced by the data of the Avito Job poll. For 3 thousand rubles. ready to fork out 31% of respondents, up to 5 thousand rubles. - 15% of the population of Russia. For a gift over 10 thousand rubles. 4% of men and 1% of women agree to spend money. In Moscow, lovers have, of course, more serious amounts, and therefore they are more generous: invest from 3 thousand rubles. 27% of the capital’s residents are ready as a gift, and 11% of Muscovites will celebrate Valentine’s Day for over 10 thousand rubles.

photo: Gennady Cherkasov

Anemones for a lady of the heart

February 14th is a holiday when the percentage of sales for various categories of goods rises sharply. Demand takes off for toys, cards, perfumes, sweet sets and flowers. Well, when demand is increased, sellers naturally inflate prices. Flower market participants note that this year it is possible to rise in price by an average of 20-40% for ready-made bouquets directly on the eve of the holiday and directly on February 14th.

The average check in Moscow, if we talk about network flower shops operating at a discounter level with an increased assortment and list of services, is about 1,500 rubles on a holiday. In boutique shops, it is slightly more expensive, in the region of 2500-3000 rubles. In flower shops located in the center of Moscow, the average bill can double.

“If we start from a specific amount on our network, the situation is as follows: the average year-round check is approximately 1200 rubles, and on February 14 it grows to 2000–2200 thousand rubles,” said Ivan Utenkov, founder of the federal flower supermarket chain.

The final cost of the composition is affected by the purchase prices, which increase for different types of flowers in different ways. “On average, the price increase is 30–40%. Manufacturers raise some flowers in price and by 100%. Traditionally, Russia buys most of the flowers in the Netherlands, Ecuador, Kenya, ”said Irina Dmitrienko, a spokeswoman for Florist.ru. Nevertheless, according to her, a consumer can find a bouquet based on his budget. “Bouquets with exotic flowers (ranunculi, anemones) could