Valentine's Day
Valentine’s Day origins, gift giving traditions, and symbolism.
Gift Certificates and Gift Cards
Today the idea of a gift certificate is nothing groundbreaking. However, in the 1930’s, the gift certificate was a revolutionary tool for consumers. It alleviated fears of getting the wrong gift, but avoided the impersonal stigma of giving cash. The process of obtaining the card has remained essentially unchanged. The giver would browse stores around... »
Valentine’s Day and White Day in Japan
Valentine’s Day was introduced in Japan in 1936 by a Kobe, Japan based chocolate company, but was not widely celebrated until the 1970’s. In Japan, however, it is customary for women to give chocolates to men, and it is usually to men that they have no romantic attachments to. The majority are given to... »
Valentine’s Day Abroad
In 2004, officials in the Chinese city of Tianjin cancelled a supermarket kissing contest planned for Valentine’s Day. They decided to hold a love song contest at the “Everybody is Happy Supermarket” instead. The city was deemed too conservative for a longest-kiss contest. Conservative members of the Hindu party Shiv Sena in India put on... »
Valentine’s Day and Retail Sales in the US
Some retailers will put together high-end luxury packages, such as Neiman Marcus’ “Ultimate Engaging Valentine” which cost $35,000 in 1997. Half a billion dollars worth of roses are sold Valentine’s week. $1.7 billion dollars will be spent on Valentines candy in 2005, the fourth largest candy holiday after Halloween, Easter, and Christmas Nearly a billion U.S. dollars... »
Dimensional Valentines Cards
Dimensional valentines have parts that pull out or pop up. These cards are distinct from mechanical valentines, which are controlled by tabs or other things the viewer must pull or manipulate for parts to move. By collectors’ standards, dimensional valentines were made from the end of the nineteenth century to the 1930s. Dimensional cards include... »