A man spent 1,000 yuan ($158.74) on roses that he bestowed on his girlfriend the day before Valentine's Day. The next day, he sold the bouquet, winning not only the girl's heart, but 1,000 yuan in profit. This made-up story - a bitter satire on the price of flowers in the run-up to Valentine's Day - has been widely circulated on the Internet. Valentine's Day, instead of being a celebration of love, has seemingly turned into a day for marketers and merchants to squeeze every last penny out of our pockets.
A recent news report said that the price of roses began to rise a week before the holiday and was expected to hit 10 yuan per flower, up from the normal price of 2 yuan.
Valentine's couples hoping to catch a movie also got hosed. Typically, many cinemas offer a 50 percent discount on admission every Tuesday, but not yesterday. Many cinemas charged full price for tickets because of the occasion. That breaks a long-standing deal the theaters made with their industry association in 2005. The purpose of the deal was to get more Chinese people to go to the cinema. Back then, the average Chinese person went out to the movies once every five years, according to an industry report from 2005.
Although the initiative was not compulsory, many cinemas agreed to join it. It gave people who could not afford to pay full price an opportunity to watch films in theaters.
I understand that prices go up before and during holidays because of the increased demand. But to break an agreement solely in pursuit of profit is unacceptable. It is a betrayal of moviegoers and a black eye for the industry. And it demonstrates that there is a lack of supervision over the industry.
The cinemas went against the industry's initial will to sacrifice a little profit for the good of cultivating an audience. With such a myopic and mercenary attitude, the cinemas are hurting the future development of the industry in exchange for one day of increased profits. Furthermore, the cinemas ignored the rights of ordinary moviegoers.
They ought to strike back against the cinemas. I suggest that couples celebrate the holiday several days before or after the actual Valentine's Day. It is unreasonable to show your love by paying more money to the greedy merchants. And it is obviously not romantic to date your loved one with money on your mind. Love is not about money, but about how passionate and sincere you are about the relationship.
If someone really loves you, he or she won't care how much money you spend on the occasion.
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