In the mood for love: A light signage showing Happy Valentine’s Day to mark the celebration of love at a mall in Petaling Jaya. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: With nearly two decades of experience as a florist, Crystal Chuah expects a last-minute rush today by people wanting to buy flowers for the apple of their eye.
“Based on my 18 years in this business, I believe many of my regular customers will dash in for last-gasp purchases,” she said on the eve of Valentine’s Day.
Chuah, 41, noticed a slower demand this year but she was optimistic about “frantic” orders by people wanting flowers today.
“Typically, orders start coming well in advance, but this year, most bookings only began last week.”
As for the flowers, she said the cost of imported roses from India and China had risen by 20% to 30%.
“But we’ve decided to maintain the same prices for our customers,” she said.
She said the most popular choice among buyers is a bouquet of three roses, priced at around RM100.
Besides fresh blooms, she also offers banknote bouquets, which are equally popular among customers.
Since food is also the language of love, there have been a spike in last-minute restaurant bookings, too.
Restaurant owner Heng Chia Ang, 36, unveiled his Valentine’s Day menu only on Wednesday and was surprised by the immediate response to it.
“Enquiries started pouring in, and by the next morning, 12 out of 25 tables have been booked,” he said.
“We kept our price reasonable at RM158 per couple for a full-course meal of appetisers, a main course, and dessert,” he said.
He explained that their Valentine’s Day package was only finalised at the last moment as they had been busy with New Year and then Chinese New Year.
At another restaurant, marketing manager Jen Ching said there was strong demand for its Valentine’s dinner package of RM198 per person.
“To date, we have bookings from 40 couples and we are still receiving enquiries,” she said.
