Shouldn't Love Be Priceless?

An insight into the harsh reality of valentines day and its clever money making scheme which we are easily influenced by.

How can love be Valued?

Valentine’s Day. A wonderful time to express admiration and appreciation towards the people you love and care for the most. It is a joyful time, for most, where love and kindness is shared, gifts are exchanged, and unfortunately some wallets are being emptied. With a whopping 180 million valentine’s cards being exchanged annually, and, in 2016 nearly 20 billion dollars was spent in the U.S alone, on what some would claim to be an over-valued retail scam which has been exploited by marketing departments. Although this symbolic day can regrettably empty our bank accounts and leave us contemplating where we went wrong, we do occasionally see a nice wee promotional discount or deal, used to manipulate and encourage us to buy, maybe something that we wouldn’t look twice at.

So... who is affected?

How about students? Well if anyone is going to receive a discount for valentine’s day it will be the money cautious students looking for the best deal. But what about young couples with very little disposable income and minimum paid jobs? Where’s their discount? Many young people who may have families or other commitments can be pressured into spending money they don’t have, with retailers using clever marketing campaigns, resulting in a seemingly loving and happy time turning into nothing but stress and worry. There are many young people who find themselves in this uncomfortable position as they not only wish to please the one they love, but also overcoming the pressures of living up to societies expectation of what you should do for your loved one on this sentimental day. Society has warped this day into a materialistic, showing off contest, where people are judged on how much they spend and celebrated for the excess they indulge in, rather than showing real love and appreciation. It can be difficult for younger people to do what is classed as “normal” for valentine’s day, gift-giving, maybe a nice meal at a restaurant, but does over-the-top spending really represent the love that two people have for each other.