The Saturday Factor: How to Nail Your Rose Order for Valentine’s Day 2026
As we gear up for the Super Bowl of the floral industry, every shop owner is asking the same question regarding how many roses they actually need to buy. It is the million-dollar question that can mean the difference between a profit-heavy February and a cooler full of leftovers. This year, Valentine's Day lands on a Saturday, and if you have been in this business for more than a minute, you know the day of the week changes everything about how you should order. When the holiday falls on a Tuesday or Wednesday, it is usually a goldmine for delivery drivers because everyone wants to be the hero sending a massive bouquet to their partner's office for all their coworkers to see.
However, since the big day is on a Saturday this year, the dynamic shifts significantly. Because most office buildings are closed, you likely won't see that massive wave of nine-to-five delivery orders on the fourteenth itself. Instead, you need to prepare for the Friday rush. We anticipate a massive surge of orders on Friday because partners still want that office envy moment, so they will send flowers a day early. You should treat that Friday like a mini-Valentine’s Day in your staffing and prep, while anticipating that Saturday will bring more last-minute walk-ins and date-night pickups rather than pre-routed delivery vans.
When it comes to figuring out your exact numbers, the best place to look is your own history. If your shop has been open for more than a year, go back and pull your sales reports from last year to see exactly what you moved. Using that historical data is the safest baseline, but you have to calculate it with the weekend shift in mind. You might see a slight dip in unit count compared to a weekday due to fewer casual office exchanges, but you will likely see a higher average order value because the flowers are part of a full weekend date.
Even with the best math, the biggest fear is always overbuying, but you can alleviate that stress by having a plan for the leftovers. If you find yourself with too many roses on Sunday morning, consider donating them to local nursing facilities. It creates incredible community goodwill and brightens the day of seniors who might not otherwise receive a gift. Alternatively, you can turn those extra stems into a new revenue stream by hosting an I Love Me Monday sale. You can market this as a self-love movement, selling the remaining flowers at a friendly price point specifically to empower women who didn't receive flowers to buy them for themselves. This turns potential waste into a positive, empowering campaign that clears your cooler and builds customer loyalty.
