Valentine’s Day Is On the Downswing…Here’s the Surprising Reason Why
According to a recent National Retail Federation survey, only 51 percent of Americans plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, down from a high of 63 percent in 2007.
This is due in part to the skyrocketing popularity of Galentine’s Day, the all-female Valentine’s Day alternative that was first touted in a 2010 episode of the late, great sitcom Parks & Recreation.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Galentine’s Day frenzy could increase Valentine’s Day revenues by 20 percent in the next three years, while Etsy says searches related to “Galentine’s Day invitation” are up 32 percent from last year.
“The basic nuts and bolts of Valentine’s Day feel antiquated,” says Parks & Recreation co-creator Michael Schur. “There’s this perfect storm of women asserting themselves appropriately as people that make their own decisions and not wait for men to buy them flowers anymore.”