But in 2012, “what everyone else is doing’’ could be an anti-Valentine’s activity.
The National Retail Federation predicts the average American celebrating the holiday will spend $126.03 - the most in the survey’s 10-year history. Statistics on the counter-trend are hard to come by. But one thing’s certain: With 32 million Americans living alone, according to the most recent census data, the singles market is too sweet to ignore. Companies big and small have come wooing.
Even the giant card company American Greetings is playing the other side of the field. Six of the 24 Valentine’s Day cards available on its justWink e-card app carry decidedly nonloving holiday messages. “Blah blah love blah happy blah blah yuck,’’ reads one card. “It’s Valentine’s Day. [@#$%].’’
The Geek Squad, Best Buy’s tech support and repair service, and not a firm traditionally associated with love, or hate, for that matter, is also flirting with the lovelorn.
For Valentine’s Day, it issued a list of “technology tips for shake-ups and breakups.’’
“Even in the midst of a sad breakup,’’ the Geek Squad advises, “it’s important to make sure that your personal data is safe and secure, especially if you share a computer with your ex-love. If you haven’t backed up your data recently, it’s time to do so now.’’
Be still, my bitter, heaving bosom.
Negative Valentine’s Day sentiments have also invaded FarmVille, the popular online game with tens of millions of users.
Last year’s Valentine’s Day theme included a few anti-Valentine’s Day items - a black rose crop, a black swamp, and animals with broken hearts.
The darker side was so popular that the company has more than doubled the anti-Valentine’s offerings this year, said Nate Etter, Farmville’s general manager.
“A lot of players feel their farms are almost a representation of themselves, and they appreciated the chance to express their sentiments,’’ Etter said. “A woman wrote in to say that her husband is in Afghanistan, and Valentine’s Day is hard, but now I have some stuff on my farm that shows how I feel.’’
