Cebu flower vendors earn tidy profit on Valentine’s

Valentine’s Day is a red-letter day not only for couples but also for flower vendors who expect peak  demand for roses.

Vendors like 44-year-old flower vendor Marilou Quijano said she was quick to adjust the prices of fresh  roses and other bouquets since yesterday morning.

“I sell flowers in this area every day, but on Valentine’s Day, it’s like a feast of shoppers here,” Quijano told Cebu Daily News in Cebuano while tying a red ribbon on  a bundle of anthuriums in her shop at Archbishop Reyes Avenue, Cebu City.

Though growers  often raise their prices, Quijano said they can easily recover their investment due to high demand.

Quijano has been selling flowers in her  stall for 15 years.

She said she would always earn the largest profit on Valentine’s Day and All Saint’s Day.

Several  vendors market their blooms near the  midsection of the   flyover at Archbishop Reyes Avenue, an area old-timers called “Barracks.”

There stall holders also sell teddy bears and cards for the day of hearts.

In Quijano’s stall, a single stem of a Holland rose  cost P50 with an additional P10 for a  cellophane wrap.

Quijano said vendors  upped prices  since yesterday when  customers started to flock to the stalls .

A dozen of roses used to cost P200. Starting Sunday, the bunch would cost P750.

Gladiolas cost P200 per dozen, up from P100 the other day.

From P150 per dozen, a dozen of anthuriums now costs P400.

Chyrsanthemums or “mums” cost P100 a  dozen, double the price two days ago.

Quijano said roses remain the best seller at P35 for a local bloom.

Accessories can be bought like a small balloon, a toy bear or a  heart-shaped  pillow or a card.

One can also have a  bouquets delivered for a service fee of P150 depending on the distance.

Quijano said a vendor’s  profit could reach  P2,000 to P5,000 on regular days, while on Valentine’s and All Soul’s Day, it would reach P20,000.

Flower vendor named Janet Sala, 36, said they earned more last year compared to the present.

As of yesterday afternoon, Sala said she only earned P6,000, while she expected P10,000 late in the afternoon.

She said they had to import their Holland roses from Baguio City  while other stocks were purchased from mountain growers in barangay Busay, Cebu City.

“Maybe  customers think it would be  cheaper to give cash for Valentine’s,” Sala joked in Cebuano.  /Candeze R. Mongaya, Reporter