Customers throng Sohum Shoppe in the city ahead of February 14. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

The teddies come in various colours, with red being the dominant shade. All the card and gift shops of the city have large stocks of special Valentine teddies with prices ranging from Rs 150 to Rs 800. The Excellency card shop in Silpukhuri has an exclusive range of teddies from Rs 150 onwards.

Apart from soft toys, showpieces proclaiming the various manifestations of love are also doing the rounds. These showpieces, which are varied in size, are sure to go down well with Valentine’s Day shoppers. Archies Gallery, Silpukhuri, even has a collection of Valentine lamps. These heart-shaped small electric lamps are priced at Rs 99.

There is even a “game of love” called Love Dice through which a customer can express how much he or she loves his or her Valentine, offered by the Excellency. The premier gift shop will also shortly offer a custom-made glass showpiece in a wrought iron frame. The best part is that one would be able to write down his or her own quote on it before gifting it to the loved one.

For the shoppers sticking to the tried and tested way of saying how special his or her Valentine is through verses, there are special quotation books filled with love verses starting from Rs 30 onwards.

The Valentine’s Day revellers also have a treat in store as most of the major shops are offering incentives to the consumers. Archies Gallery, Silpukhuri, is offering a free CD of the Big B’s hits to consumers purchasing goods worth Rs 150.

The Excellency is wooing its customers by giving a free single diner’s pass for purchases worth Rs 250 and a couple’s pass for purchases worth Rs 350 to an exclusive Valentine’s Day party. The party has been organised in association with Expressions greeting cards at a leading club in the city on February 14.

For those willing to dole out a little more cash, the city’s mega shopping centre Sohum Shoppe is proposing a hard-to-resist offer.

With every Spirit watch, a 50 per cent discount is being offered for the next watch and a special Valentine edition of a Giordano clock is being offered with every Giordano purchase.

The very dependable and everyone’s favourite, cards also come to suit everyone’s budgets. The price-range starts from Rs 3 and goes up to the mega-sized Rs 500 worth cards. Valentine cards for your mom, dad and brother are also up for grabs. “This year, the collections are really eye-catching and are sure to impress your Valentine,” Archita, a college student, gushed.

And if you want to try out something new, then there are candles of different types. From floating ones to gels to scented candles, they are a big hit this year. “Candles are very much in demand this year. People are demanding more of the scented and floating varieties,” a shopkeeper said.

Apart from candles, the other in-demand gifts are crystal showpieces, especially those of dolphins. “Dolphins are the symbols of love. Lots of consumers are getting our exclusive dolphin crystal watches and showpieces,” the director of the Excellency said.

Besides, there are still chocolates, music and even balloons to woo your loved one. Special music collections of romantic ballads have hit the market. The collections are both in English and Hindi to suit your preference.

Flower boutiques are also selling like hot cakes. “We have got orders for bouquets up to Rs 1,500,” the owner of one such boutique said. The biggest sellout is of course red Dutch roses. A close second comes the baby pink Dutch rose. A stem of these exotic flowers costs just Rs 10 each.

Shaheen Salma Ahmed