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valentine.s-day
valentine.s-day
Papa John's Heart-Shaped Pizza Looks More Like Anatomical Heart
By Laura Northrup on February 22, 2012 8:02 AM
34 Comments
Everyone knows that "heart-shaped" items don't look anything like the big lump of muscle in mammals' chests that pumps blood around. But heart-shaped things are cute. Every year, Papa John's tries to produce a heart-shaped pizza. And every year, it's a heart-clogger shaped more like an actual anatomical heart. Mozzarella cheese is a cruel medium. More »
Four More Sad Florist Tales From The Garden Of Discontent
By Laura Northrup on February 17, 2012 9:00 AM
70 Comments
Closed lilies, not-so-fresh blooms, and two flower arrangements that never showed up, leaving disappointed girlfriends in their wake. Delivering the flowers a day late is better than not at all...but not when you paid extra to make sure your significant other knows that you didn't forget to wow her on the 14th. Welcome to the third and final installment of this year's Valentine's Day Garden of Discontent. More »
The 2012 Valentine's Day Garden Of Discontent
By Laura Northrup on February 15, 2012 9:30 AM
92 Comments
On Valentine's Day, we are expected to show loved ones how much they mean to us by giving them dead plants. For extra style points, we pay strangers to bring these dead plants to the recipient for us. However, florists are unfathomably busy on Valentine's Day. So busy that we almost feel bad criticizing when things go wrong. Almost. The Consumerist's annual Valentine's Day Garden of Discontent is a collection of flower or gift deliveries that aren't what the recipient had in mind. Such as calling your fiancée a whore. More »
Fast Food Restaurants Seek To Fan The Flames Of Love This Valentine's Day
By Mary Beth Quirk on February 14, 2012 4:30 PM
19 Comments
Besides the fact that it's Tuesday, today also happens to be Valentine's Day. And although we already told you to stay home for dinner, you and your loved one might have the sudden urge for a last-minute meal on the town. Reservations at Chateau Fancy might be hard to come by, but fast food will always be there for you. More »
Looking For Love In All The Electronic Places: Older People Now Really Getting Into Online Dating
By Mary Beth Quirk on February 13, 2012 4:00 PM
38 Comments
It wouldn't be Valentine's Day week without the prerequisite romance and dating news crawling out to remind everyone that yes, there are single people in the world, and they're looking for love. And guess what? It's not just you young kids surfing the net for a match, as a new study says the fastest growing age group in online dating are those over 60. More »
(Mac(3))
Nothing Says Romance Like A Valentine's Day Tour Of A Sewage Plant
By Mary Beth Quirk on February 10, 2012 1:00 PM
31 Comments
Traditional Valentine's Day celebrations might smell of flowers, delicate perfume and the aroma of chocolate wafting through the air as you sit in front of a roaring fireplace and pledge eternal devotion, but who needs those meaningless gestures when you and your loved one can breathe in the scent of sewage during a tour of a wastewater treatment plant? More »
(Muffet)
Forget The Florist, Make Your Own V-Day Bouquet
By Phil Villarreal on February 10, 2012 10:15 AM
33 Comments
If you've got plans to get a loved one flowers for Valentine's Day, there are more options than picking up something from the display rack at the front of the grocery store or a high-priced arrangement that florists are peddling. You can save money and add a personal touch by making your own bouquet. More »
NBC
Kraft Bringing Back The Formerly Homeless "Man With The Golden Voice" For Anti-Hunger Campaign
By Mary Beth Quirk on February 10, 2012 10:00 AM
24 Comments
For fans of "The Man with the Golden Voice," also known as formerly homeless man Ted Williams who was discovered on YouTube, enjoyed his 15 minutes of intense media attention, filmed a voiceover for a Kraft Macaroni & Cheese spot and sort of faded back into oblivion, you'll be glad to know he's back. Williams is helping Kraft with a Valentine's Day campaign against hunger. More »
Survey Says We're All Still Suckers For That Thing Where You Buy Cheesy Valentine's Day Gifts
By Mary Beth Quirk on February 1, 2012 4:00 PM
34 Comments
Your Valentine's Day bahumbuggery isn't fooling anyone — consumers are still throwing cash at cute stuffed animals, jewelry, candy and fancy meals to show their loved ones they're just that — loved. At least, according to a report detailing the mushy gushy season's shopping trends. More »
Statistical Evidence You Should Just Stay Home And Eat In On Valentine's Day
By Chris Morran on January 25, 2012 2:15 PM
61 Comments
Valentine's Day doesn't just suck for singles who don't want to be reminded of their singlehood. It's also a pain in the tuchus for couples scrambling to find a dinner reservation, sometimes at a restaurant with ridiculously marked-up menu "specials." Thankfully, statistics have come to the rescue to show that you should really just stay in and avoid the hassle. More »
FTD Delivers Forgotten Valentine's Day Flowers Only After Intensive Pestering
By Laura Northrup on February 22, 2011 11:45 AM
28 Comments
Dennis didn't get to take part in this year's Valentine's Day Garden of Discontent, but not because he was happy with the flowers that he ordered for his wife. The company didn't deliver the flowers he ordered, and only dropped off any flowers at all after he called them for five days in a row. More »
Was FTD Just Overwhelmed This Valentine's Day?
By Laura Northrup on February 15, 2011 10:00 AM
113 Comments
Was the combination of a flower-centric holiday and a controversial Groupon promotion too much for FTD to handle? The network didn't spend this Valentine's Day just sending puny flower arrangements to people's moms. For many people, they just went ahead and didn't deliver the flowers at all. Two readers who took advantage of the Groupon discount shared their stories. More »
The Consumerist's 2011 Valentine's Day Garden Of Discontent
By Laura Northrup on February 15, 2011 9:00 AM
86 Comments
On Valentine's Day, we are expected to show loved ones how much they mean to us by giving them dead plants. For extra style points, we pay strangers to bring these dead plants to the recipient for us. However, florists are unfathomably busy on Valentine's Day. So busy that we almost feel bad criticizing when things go wrong. Almost. The Consumerist's annual Valentine's Day Garden of Discontent is a collection of flower or gift deliveries that aren't what the recipient had in mind—and sometimes aren't even close. More »
Vermont Teddy Bear Gets Guy Dumped On Valentine's
By Ben Popken on February 14, 2011 10:00 AM
139 Comments
Vermont Teddy Bear are supposed to be harbingers of love and snuggling. But for reader Erik, who emailed us his story in response to our request for tales of romance, love and heartbreak centered around a specific product, sending one of those stuffed bears only served to herald his doom. Here's his story of how a Vermont Teddy Bear got him dumped on Valentine's. More »
Groupon & FTD Offer Refund For Controversial Valentine's Day Deal
By Chris Morran on February 14, 2011 9:45 AM
40 Comments
Amid allegations that FTD jacked up the price on flowers being sold through a Groupon promotion, both companies are offering a refund to peeved customers. More »
10 Thrifty Ways To Deliver Big On Valentine's Day
By Ben Popken on February 11, 2011 11:38 AM
88 Comments
Just because the economy is in the dumps doesn't mean your spirits have to be on V-Day. There's lots of great ways to celebrate your relationship without buying into all the myths of conspicuous consumption. At the same time, classic romantic gestures can be nice and sweet, as long as there's more feeling than Franklins behind them. Here's a guide to some last-minute, creative, frugal and even free ways to say "I love you." (Spoiler alert: the best day to celebrate February 14... is February 15! It's like getting Valentine's Day half-off!) More »
Newegg Knows What Women Really Want This Valentine's Day: Sexism
By Laura Northrup on February 11, 2011 9:30 AM
287 Comments
This Valentine's Day gift suggestion list from Newegg has a "Cutie and the Geek" theme, featuring gifts ostensibly for a Newegg shopper, his wife or girlfriend, and gifts that the entire couple can use. Sample items from the "cutie" section: red freshwater pearls, Ralph Lauren sunglasses, and a pink netbook. Sample items from the "geek" section: an electric razor, a 120 GB solid state drive, and a home server. Cary finds the selection a bit sexist, writing: "Great piece of marketing work. I guess women aren't allowed to enjoy geeky toys and instead need 'pink netbooks' or jewelery as gifts." More »
How About A Very Good Sparkling Rosé For Only $8?
By Ben Popken on February 7, 2011 11:00 AM
48 Comments
Consumer Reports recently dipped their snifters into a batch of sparkling rosés and found that you don't have to spend much green to get one that will keep you in the pink. More »
12-Year-Old Finds Unexpectedly Racy Valentine's Conversation Heart
By Laura Northrup on February 4, 2011 8:00 AM
67 Comments
As a literal-minded, sugar-crazed child, near Valentine's Day I always wondered whether you could have an entire conversation with conversation hearts, the chalky seasonal candy. (You really can't.) A 12-year-old California girl says that she recently found an unexpected dirty message in her bag of candy hearts, and her parents notified a local TV station just in case it might happen to other families, too. More »
White Castle Offers Test To See If She Really Loves You
By Phil Villarreal on January 19, 2011 1:30 PM
55 Comments
If your love is true — I'm talking love as deep as what you'll find in Before Sunset or the hearts of Buffalo Bills fans — it can survive absolutely anything, including the complete forgetting of Valentine's Day or its utter degradation, which would encompass dinner reservations at White Castle. More »
