£385 for train station flowers! Bunch of Valentine’s Day roses costing from £200 in City of London leave commuters unimpressed
It’s the day of love – and for some it may mean a last-minute dash to the shops to pick up a gift after forgetting to buy their other half a thoughtful present.
But commuters passing through Liverpool Street Station in London revealed their shock after spotting sky-high prices of red roses being sold for Valentine’s Day.
One passenger shared a picture on the online messaging board Reddit of an unidentified gift shop in the station selling bouquets of roses for three-figure prices.
On the forum London, the commuter posted a photo of two small bunches of red roses priced at £200 and a slightly larger bouquet at £385.
They simply titled it ‘£385 of roses in Liv St Station’ and let the near-200 commenters say the rest.
One passenger at Liverpool Street Station shared a picture of three-figure priced flowers at one of the station’s gift shops, sparking off a debate about the price of Valentine’s Day gifts
Many said their partners would be horrified if they spent that much on Valentine’s Day gifts.
One user said: ‘I showed my Mrs and she said “if you buy those I will leave you on principle”.’
Another added: ‘I’d feel the same. I’d not be able to get past our mortgage payment (obviously don’t live in London) being spent on something that would be dead in a week and not leave a lasting memory (that’s a weekend in Morocco flights included, for example, or almost double the price of the tasting menu in the Shard – sans drinks and still cheaper with them).’
Someone else posted: ‘Wow – it’s even Valentine’s Day yet for the desperate last-minute shoppers. There are plenty of places near there that charge a fifth of the cost at most for that.’
And a fourth added: ‘All this hype for Valentine’s Day I buy the Mrs fresh flowers weekly, makes me laugh this day as the amount of men who will panic and run around looking for something nice yet don’t bother all year around.’
Another wrote: ‘I wouldn’t pay that if I was caught cheating on her with her sister.’
While someone else posted: ‘More fool the people who pay that much. Disgusting.’
People were quick to share their thoughts, with many saying that their partners would be horrified if they spent that much on Valentine’s Day gifts. One man said that he bought his partner fresh flowers every week and so couldn’t understand the hype
And a third said: ‘I’d be happier with the teddy bear and Dairy Box.’
But not everyone was so quick to blast the price of the the bouquet, those selling it and any customers.
Instead, some Reddit users attempted to explain why the cost was so high.
A former florist said: ‘Roses at Valentine’s Day drastically increase in price. You can usually purchase decent ones for roughly £1/£1.20 per stem on a regular day. Now add in the demand.
‘These are Grand Prix roses, likely from Colombia too, rather than the tiny headed ones from supermarkets.
‘You have to charge the crazy prices to make any kind of profit. Source – used to be a florist.’
A second person added: ‘Last year M&S were selling 100 roses for £75/75 roses for £100 can’t remember which – and a small independent florist told me she skipped doing Valentines Day, one of the biggest days of her year, because to buy that number wholesale would cost her over £200 before she priced them up for customers to include any profit for her work!’
However, some Reddit users attempted to explain why the cost of the roses may so high and that the florists need to make a profit for their work
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk