Valentine’s Day low sales: Shop owners blame pastors

Some gift shop owners in Koforidua have accused some pastors of preaching against the celebration of the Saint Valentine’s Day, regretting that this has resulted in low sales of gift items.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview on Friday, Ms Edith Adjei, a trader, said for some time now, some pastors in the country have been preaching against the celebration of Valentine’s Day which had reduced the interest of most people in the celebration, as compare to previous years.

She said, valentine period used to be her reaping time but for some time now, she had been experiencing low sales with this year’s being the worse of all.

Ms Adjei also attributed the low sales this year to the economic hardships Ghanaians are going through with the falling of the cedi.

Ms Adjei said, this year she filled the shop with parcels of gift with the anticipation of selling them, but as at the time of the visit, only few items had been sold.

Another shop owner who only gave her name as Afua, said she went for a loan from the bank to fill her shop with the anticipation that this year’s celebration would be a bumper harvest for her, but her expectation had been dashed.

Mr. Foster Agbobada, of Unlimited Powers of God stationery shop said due to the depreciation of the cedi, prices of items had gone up therefore people are not patronizing, as compared to last year.

He expressed the hope that since some people makes their shopping in the evenings; he was expecting to make some sales before the close of the day.

Some people GNA spoke to even had forgotten the today was a Valentine day.

According Mr. Jonathan Ofosu, a businessman, the day was not important to him as compared to Christmas, New Year, and Easter.

Some of the gifts at the shops such as hampers ranged from GHC45.00 to GHC98.00, boxes of chocolate also ranged from GHC15.00, GHC17.00 and GHC 25.00.