Valentine’s Day is right around the corner — our favorite day to love and hate. As retailers we love the sales, yet we hate all the anxieties that lead up to this very profitable day that helps get us through what might in our industry be a dreadfully low sales month.

Each year retailers begin the long and daunting process to prepare for the romantic at heart and the number one holiday in the floral industry. If a store is not prepared, this holiday can do intense damage, with long lines, frustrated customers and lack of significant product; the repercussions for the non-prepared retailer is endless and frightening. On the other hand, a well-prepared retailer with the right mixture of product can enjoy lucrative sales with satisfied and, in most cases, return customers.

So how do we reach well-prepared status? Planning. Most retailers begin planning out the store strategy early. November and December are a great time to look into the past two years of sales, determining where sales should be this year and how to achieve them.

One of the most common beliefs is the actual day the holiday falls on brings the best sales. This can be true. A Wednesday has proven to be a good day for commercial retailers, while Friday is very profitable for the grocery industry. But we should never be convinced that a particular day of the week will bring us low sales and another day will provide high sales. It’s more about analyzing the holiday and having a well planned out strategy. Valentine’s Day 2016 falls on a Sunday and with a great plan you can bring in strong sales.

Friday sales for this holiday will be strong because it kicks off the weekend and if you have full displays customers will respond. The next strong sales day will be Saturday, so be sure your roses and bouquets are well-stocked for both days — at least as strong as they would be for Sunday, the actual day.

Make sure you have product that will carry over after the holiday too, such as alternative items like green and blooming plants, mixed planters, and orchids. Consider plants like orchids, hydrangeas and lilies in pink and white, along with roses, mini roses, mixed blooming and green planters. Many U.S. and Canadian growers have great product and alternative items that can be brought in for the holiday, yet if you don’t sell out they will be great to still hold solid displays after Sunday, keeping the department fresh and full looking.

Don’t be afraid of the actual day the holiday falls on — just prepare for it. And make sure you also plan for the days before and after and you won’t be disappointed.

Sue DeMuth is the manager of floral merchandising, Heartland Region, at SpartanNash in Edina, MN. She can be contacted at [email protected].