What price can you put on love?

Love and cash are in the air on Tuesday as the city celebrates Valentine’s Day with the second most generous couples in the region spending on average HK$2,200.

The mainland pips Hong Kong by just over HK$200 in the latest Mastercard Consumer Purchasing Priorities Survey, with Taiwan spending HK$2,103 and Singapore HK$1,506. The regional average stands at HK$1,032.

Some 65 per cent of the 412 Hongkongers surveyed said they prefer to dine out on the big day, with others planning to buy flowers or jewellery.

Justin Chung, founder of premium online florist Gift Flowers HK, said this year’s business surged 60 to 70 per cent year on year while costs remained more or less the same.

“We cut our orders last Wednesday, but our phones kept ringing,” he told the Post.

Chung said that had they continued to receive orders, flower sales would triple. This is because people tend to place last-minute requests when Valentine’s Day falls on a weekday, he added.

“Many men were disappointed,” he said. “Our advice is to prepare earlier.”

Bouquets of 12 and 24 roses, priced at HK$999 and HK$1,299 respectively, were the most popular at Chung’s online store, while the most expensive bouquet of 99 roses cost HK$4,299.

Across the region, Mastercard found that men tend to favour flowers as gifts (40 per cent) while women prefer buying clothes and leather goods (28 per cent). Men also plan to spend about 25 per cent more than their opposite sex, according to the survey.

(SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST)