By Charles Passy
It may sound decidedly less-than-special, but the idea of gifting something practical for the Feb. 14 holiday appears to be catching on
A number of vacuum-cleaner brands and retailers are marketing the appliance for Valentine's Day.
Forget that box of bonbons or bouquet of posies. Could this year's hottest Valentine's Day gift be...a vacuum cleaner?
Certainly, San Priy, a veterinary-care specialist based in the Las Vegas area, didn't object when he received one as a gift from his partner a year ago.
&#34;At first I laughed because it felt so unromantic compared to chocolates or roses,&#34; Priy said. &#34;But our old vacuum barely worked, and I'd been putting off replacing it because it felt like an unnecessary expense at the time. Having a good one suddenly made everyday life easier and less stressful.&#34;
It may sound decidedly less-than-special, but the idea of gifting something practical for the Feb. 14 holiday appears to be catching on. Certainly, plenty of brands and stores are marketing that concept: You'll find Valentine's Day sales and promotions for car tires, cleaning products, battery chargers and, yes, vacuum cleaners, among countless practical-minded items.
Why give something that sucks up dirt to show you care? Michèle Szynal, spokeswoman for iRobot Corp., the company behind the Roomba vacuum, makes the case that a new, helpful household appliance can indeed be a romantic gift.
&#34;It says, 'Honey, I've saved you some time, so there's more 'we time,'&#34; she said.
While iRobot doesn't have a specific Valentine's Day Roomba promotion on its website, the company saw an uptick in interest last year when ABC's &#34;Good Morning America&#34; spotlighted the vacuum as a top gift choice for the holiday.
Giving someone a vacuum cleaner says &#34;Honey, I've saved you some time, so there's more 'we time.'&#34;Michèle Szynal, spokeswoman for Roomba maker iRobot Corp.
SharkNinja (SN), the company that markets a variety of household appliances, does promote a Valentine's Day sale on its website. Sure enough, among the many products it's hawking in connection with the holiday is its Shark Navigator Robot Vacuum.
Valentine's Day sales are expected to reach a record $29.1 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation. And the top gifting categories do remain the tried-and-true ones, according to the NRF - namely, candy, greeting cards, flowers, jewelry and treating your loved one to an evening out.
'Valentine's Day is no longer all about roses and rosé ... the stereotypical cliché gifts of the past are shifting to those that actually make everyday sense.'Brett Narlinger, chief revenue officer of gift-card company Blackhawk Network
But at the same time, there's some evidence that more practical items are increasingly finding their way onto Valentine's Day shopping lists. For example, Blackhawk Network, a company that markets gift cards, says sales for home-related digital cards are up 12% going into the holiday this year versus a 5% increase for digital cards overall. (&#34;Home&#34; is considered the most practical-focused shopping category, the company adds.)
&#34;Valentine's Day is no longer all about roses and rosé,&#34; said Blackhawk Network Chief Revenue Officer Brett Narlinger. &#34;Our data shows the stereotypical cliché gifts of the past are shifting to those that actually make everyday sense.&#34;
Not every company that connects practicality with Valentine's Day is necessarily expecting or seeing a huge boost in sales. At a Toledo, Ohio, location of Belle Tire, a Midwest-based tire retailer, a combined Valentine's Day and Presidents Day sale features such offers as $100 off any $1,000-plus service. But store manager Nikki Franks can't say how much Valentine's Day really moves the needle in terms of getting customers to consider a new set of wheels for that special person in their lives.
A Belle Tire location in Ohio has been going all out for Valentine's Day, as evidenced by this social-media post.
Still, Franks says it doesn't hurt to think outside the box, as evidenced by a Belle Tire social-media post advertising the current sale with cartoonish tire characters in full Valentine's Day mode - &#34;Be Mine&#34; heart emblem included.
&#34;We're trying to have fun,&#34; Franks said, adding that she also promotes the holiday by putting Valentine's Day cards in customers' cars after a job is completed.
That being said, when the Real Talk Facebook group asked its 1.6 million members this week whether four new tires - with new brakes and an oil change thrown in - would make a good Valentine's Day gift, the majority of the 300-plus commenters loved the idea.
&#34;If you need it, yes,&#34; said one. &#34;It shows a lot of love.&#34; Another reader suggested also leaving a dozen roses on the seat.
Marketing and other experts say it's no secret why practical-minded gifts might be gaining in popularity right now. In an era when &#34;affordability&#34; has become a buzzword, consumers are cautious about spending - and buying items that could be deemed frivolous may make less sense to them. Hence, romance is being redefined.
&#34;Consumers today are more price-sensitive than ever before, they are more likely to research products and they are less likely to be swayed by traditional romantic notions,&#34; said Michael Ryan, director and founder of Ink Digital, a British-based SEO-focused marketing agency.
Just beware that it's quite possible a practical gift can backfire. You'll also find no shortage of social-media posts from those who have plenty to say on the subject - in fact, there are whole threads devoted to the matter of the vacuum cleaner as Valentine's Day present. And while some commenters say it can be an appropriate gift, others say differently.
To quote one person on a Reddit thread: &#34;Get something [for your girlfriend] that says you love her, not something that says you want her to clean.&#34;
Angela Moore, who runs a New York-based marketing and public-relations agency, says if her husband got her a vacuum cleaner for Valentine's Day, she knows exactly how she'd react to the gift: &#34;It would get the middle finger.&#34;
Meanwhile, those who sell traditional Valentine's Day gift items don't seem overly worried about vacuum brands encroaching on their turf. Or at least, the folks at Li-Lac Chocolates, a New York company with a 103-year history, aren't anticipating an issue.
Chocolate &#34;creates a moment,&#34; said David Landeros, Li-Lac's corporate sales manager, pointing to its indulgent taste.
By contrast, Landeros said, &#34;I'm not sure how romantic anyone would feel while vacuuming.&#34;
-Charles Passy
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02-13-26 1423ET

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Valentine's Day shoppers are increasingly opting for practical gifts like vacuum cleaners and car tires instead of traditional items such as chocolates and flowers. Brands like iRobot and SharkNinja are marketing household appliances as romantic gifts, emphasizing their practicality and time-saving benefits. The National Retail Federation predicts record Valentine's Day sales of $29.1 billion, with a notable rise in home-related gift card sales. Experts suggest this trend reflects a shift towards gifts that make everyday life easier, as consumers prioritize affordability and practicality in their spending.

Who needs chocolates? Why more Valentine's Day shoppers are buying vacuums and car tires.