Love is in the air

flower shops to grab presents for their loved ones ahead of St Valentine’s Day.
Speaking to The Herald, Barbours general manager Mrs Edith Chari said gifts were flying off the shelves in the spirit of Valentine’s.

“We have noticed people coming in to grab Valentine’s cards, jewellery, teddy bears, mugs, cosmetics and other gifts for their loved ones as is the norm every year” she said.
Mrs Chari said people buying presents were mostly male.

“According to our sales, men are more giving and this could be due to Biblical belief in that they are the heads of the households and should therefore provide” she said.

Mrs Chari however said due to modernisation, the fairer sex was now reciprocating with quite a number of women buying gifts for their men.

“Some people believe that it is a retail gimmick and, therefore, do not celebrate it. But the truth of the matter is that it is a new culture worldwide. People are simply expressing their love to their loved ones and as a trendsetter department store, we give them a chance to express the gesture” she said.

She reiterated that from a Biblical perspective, the first book of Corinthians said that love is the greatest gift given to men and should not be denied.

“Certain people can argue that they would not wait for Valentine’s Day to show their affection but can do it any other day but a spouse can feel left out when other people are receiving gifts. One does not lose anything by spoiling the ones they love” she said

According to Tapiwa Mhiko, a florist at from Africa Unity Square, flowers are the way to go especially as a last minute gift.

“Flowers are at their best on the day they are bought so people can spoil their loved ones. Our sales are at their best this time of the year with people coming in to buy or send us to deliver flowers in and around the city” he said

A lot of activities have been lined up today with companies like Cell One Electronics, NRZ, Power FM, several nightclubs and restaurants among them ZimCafe and Garwe hosting Valentine’s Day dinners.