Business Owners Grateful Consumers Are Spending This Valentine's Day Amid Pandemic, Supply Chain Issues
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The pandemic and supply chain trouble has put the squeeze on businesses, and with Valentine's Day coming up, CBS2's Dave Carlin checked in to see if store owners are worried Cupid will miss the mark.
"It's one of those holidays where we get to throw a lot of sprinkles, a lot of color, a lot of chocolate on everything and we really like that," said Marc Coolrecht, owner of City Cakes.
Cupid shot an arrow right into the heart of this Chelsea Bakery. At City Cakes, Valentine's-related sales are better than expected.
"Now we're starting to see those custom orders roll in and more foot traffic as well," Coolrecht said.
As some pandemic worries appear to slow down, wallets open up. The thinking is that when people feel hopeful, they are more willing to splurge.
"I have the card. I have gifts. Dinner is still up in the air," Englewood, New Jersey, resident Walter Hartman said.
Hartman knows he needs to find the right place soon. Tables are filling up fast.
Restaurants are adding special menus and promotions and seeing a rise in reservations, not just for Valentine's Day but for the weekend days leading up to it.
"People are booking," said Libby Apicella, owner of Azalea Restaurant on West 51st Street. "We're going to have a nice full house on Valentine's Day."
"We're always grateful that there's a holiday in the middle of February because it really does help," said John Soroka, co-owner of Delphinium Home.
"We see the light at the end of the tunnel again," said Michael Quinn, co-owner of Delphinium Home. "Candles, cards ... Jewelry's moving, a little bit of everything.")
"This year, the Valentine's Day spending is actually set to be the second highest year on record, at least since it's been tracked by the National Retail Federation," said Kristin Myers, editor-in-chief at The Balance, an online resource to help people with money.
She has some advice for consumers who are doing some last-minute shopping ahead of the holiday.
"Instead of getting some of these material items that are 100% getting more expensive because of supply chain issues maybe think about getting experiential gifts instead," she said. "Plane tickets, there's sales on tickets there. There's sales on hotels."
She says when you shop for your sweetheart, also show some love for mom-and-pop merchants by shopping local.
