And it’s making us sad…
According to new research, more than half of UK couples won’t be celebrating Valentine’s Day this year. Yes, really.
February 14th may traditionally be a day of romance, but over the decades it has become a day of stress and pressure to buy the perfect present and plan the dream date.
A recent survey by IllicitEncounters.com revealed that February 7th (one week before Valentine’s Day) has been dubbed Red Tuesday – the most common day of the year to get dumped - all due to the impending day of ‘love’ mounting too much pressure on relationships.
This survey, however, conducted by Glowing Embers, highlighted two other key reasons why couples are increasingly bypassing the romantic day: excessive cost and over-commercialisation.
Out of the 1000 couples across the UK who took part in the survey, 58% of them admitted to never going out to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
When asked what was stopping the couples from taking part in the romantic day, nearly a third explained that it was just too expensive. Work commitments were also a substantial factor with 20% of people admitting to missing the romantic festivities to get ahead at the office, with others listing tiredness and an inability to find childcare as reasons.
Over a quarter of the couples quizzed, however, defended their decision to skip February 14th for the simple reason that they objected to the concept, believing that it had just become another over commercialized holiday.
‘Our results really do show that most of us Brits feel that Valentine’s Day is just too expensive and a way for florists and shops to make us part with our money, leaving even us romantics to feel cynical about the whole occasion’ explained Richard Fewings, Director of Glowing Embers.
The survey also showed present buying activity with a whopping 64% of people choosing not to purchase a Valentine’s gift for their loved ones. And of the couples who do splurge, 70% stick to a spending limit of £20 with just 1 in 10 of the women expecting a gift of £200 or more.
‘We don’t need to do much to get back to the real meaning of the occasion which should be just to show your loved one they are special’, explained Richard.
‘A bottle of wine by the fire, a homemade card or running your partner a bath can be a romantic gesture and a great way to keep a passionate fire burning. Staying at home for Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be just another night glued to your phone or Netflix!’
