KANSAS CITY, Mo — Last-minute Valentine’s Day orders are keeping chocolate shops across Kansas City busy.
André’s Confiserie Suisse has been bringing Swiss chocolates and candies to Kansas City since the 1950s. After a successful 2021 holiday turnout, the trend continues into Valentine’s Day 2022.
“You get a day or two before the actual holiday and we just get swamped with people looking to give something to their sweetheart,” said Rene Bollier, owner of André’s.
Bollier said his online orders are up by 200%, and that’s biting into overtime costs for the shop where staff is hard at work meeting demand. The shop goes through tens of thousands of pounds of chocolate and 110 pounds of butter during the season of love.
“It is our third busiest holiday behind Christmas and Easter,” Bollier said.
The business has been sweet, but behind the scenes, they are scrambling to keep up with costs.
Raw materials like butter have seen a 100% increase in cost. Paper goods and fruit have also seen an increase, all while the shop continues to battle supply chain delays.
“All our chocolate is produced with a partner in Switzerland for us, and right now, it’s floating in the high seas and we don’t know when we are going to see it,” Bollier said.
Bollier said with some production taking place in the house he is able to absorb some costs and not increase prices on customers. Thanks to this effort, shoppers are paying the same price for Valentine’s Day goods at his store.
“I think there is a lot of pent-up energy, to enjoy and to splurge to enjoy and indulge,” Bollier said.
The National Retail Federation agrees and believes Valentine’s Day spending will reach $23.9 billion this year, up from $21.8 billion in 2021.
They also predict American shoppers are expected to spend an average of $175.41 per person on Valentine’s Day gifts, up from $164.76 in 2021. Greeting cards, flowers and candies reign as the top gifts to give this year.
Kansas City jewelry shops say Valentine’s Day hasn’t been a significant holiday for them in a while.
Michael Marentes, the owner of Waldo Jewelers, said sales continue to remain strong for his shop — especially bridal sales.
“We have seen a significant increase in bridal sales, and that's just statistically in line with depression eras. When the economy gets bad, people seem to get married more, couples consolidate into shared dwellings, accelerating the engagement timeline,” Marentes explained.
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