‘I’m not taking her out to a restaurant’: Some Winnipeggers opting to stay home for Valentine’s Day

A recent survey says Manitobans are opting to stay in rather than go out for Valentine’s Day due to rising costs. Danton Unger reports.

Love is in the air, but for some Winnipeggers, it is starting to get a bit expensive.

Winnipeg couple Mady Alexander and Braden Moreau are planning to have quiet Valentine’s Day at home.

“We could have went out, but we just wanted to watch a movie at home. It’s a lot cheaper and easier,” said Moreau, during a run to the grocery store to pick up flowers and chocolates.

“I agree. I just think staying at home and not spending as much money as we would spend on one meal (eating out),” Alexander said.

It was a similar story for Winnipeg shopper Spencer, who was picking up some ingredients to cook dinner for him and his wife at home.

“I’m not taking her out to a restaurant,” he said. “I got her some nice ravioli with some lobster inside. I have some steak. I got my Parmesan cheese here. Because otherwise, going out for dinner is pretty expensive, for sure.”

These shoppers aren’t alone.

A recent Leger Opinion survey from TD Bank suggests nearly two-in-five residents in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are opting for less expensive dates. It said about 22 per cent are going on fewer dates altogether due to economic conditions.

That isn’t surprising to Divya Ramachandran, an associate professor of marketing at the U of M’s Asper School of Business.

“Everything’s expensive. Now that’s just the unfortunate reality we are living in,” she said.

Though, Ramachandran said people may feel more pressure to spend big on a date night around Valentine’s Day.

“Valentine’s Day doesn’t come by every other day. You know, it’s a once in a year occasion. So, we kind of excuse that action of going over our planned budget sometimes.”

She said a tight budget may just push people to be more creative.

“I don’t necessarily feel like you need to spend a whole lot of dollars to make a date memorable,” she said. “There are a lot of low cost – or even no cost – dates that can be managed, you know, buy groceries and cook together at home, that sort of stuff.”

Though, it’s not just shoppers feeling the pinch.

At Mordens’ of Winnipeg, Valentine’s Day is the busiest day of the year. But this year, owner Fred Morden said prices are a bit higher.

“In 2024, Cocoa prices skyrockets about 400 per cent which created a huge question mark on the whole industry, so we had to bump our prices,” he said.

The surge in coca prices was due to drought and crop disease in West Africa, an area that supplies more than 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa. Conditions have improved, resulting in cocoa prices starting to come down.

Morden said he expects to see some relief for both him and his customers come Easter. But for now, he is thankful for the loyal shoppers who have been choosing to support local.

“It’s been great because we have a very well-heeled customer base.”

Meanwhile Alexander and Moreau are looking forward to a sweet Valentine’s Day without breaking the bank.

“You get a lot more out of staying home,” Moreau said.

Methodology note: TD Bank conducted a Leger Opinion panel survey of 1,502 Canadians which ran from Jan. 9 to 13. It caries an estimated margin of error: ±2.5%, 19 times out of 20.