bengaluru yethi sairam had a busy sunday with sister deepti the duo spent a large part of the day scouring shops to buy presents for his fiancei have to make the occasion extra special as i am marrying her on february 15 a day after valentines day i asked my sister for help and we are buying an assortment of things he said opening a bag containing a heartshaped pillow and other itemswhile florists gift stores food outlets and other retailers are gearing up with special offers and products to lure collegegoing students and young adults shopowners admit business is relatively lukewarm this yearpadmesh kumar who runs the archies store on commercial street says the rush is usually seen in the week leading up to vday but now with just two days to go my shop is empty it might be because of demonetization people normally buy cards some special showpieces meant for couples teddy bears and chocolates this year people are more into personalizing their presents we expected more sales but it is half of what we earned last year he said adding that his older customers are more likely to buy simple greeting cardsuttam maithri faces a similar situation his flower shop on jeevan bima nagar main road is adorned with heartshaped pillows an additional item he orders anticipating a rush for valentines day but this year sales have fallen normally business picks up a couple of days before february 14 by rs 5000 but this year it has not been so good red rose bouquets and special heartshaped floral arrangements are very popular even though prices have fallen a little we sell at a premium thanks to lastminute rush uttam saidramesh chandiramani manager of archies gallery on brigade road confirmed that business was not as good as theyd anticipated sales normally double this time especially on february 13 mainly youngsters buy presents but we also see families gifting each other on the occasion anything with a heart theme sells well he saidcompanies are also making a dent virtually by broadcasting their special deals on social media platforms offering everything from spa days to speed datingwhat their plans are1 sinduja has a valentines day ritual that she has been following for many years every year i buy a surprise present for my mother to give to my father and the other way round essentially i am responsible for the gift exchange at home she says2 while some people shop the traditional way there are others who prefer more practical presents aishwarya shopping in indiranagar says she would rather buy something they can be of use i dont like cheesy presents i want to gift something the other person needs and will use said the fashion design student