I wrote this story in 2004 … my editors gave it to me ’cause of my byline.
By DEREK ROSE
Valentine’s Day is upon us again – and what could be more romantic than a dozen red roses from the local deli?
At least, that’s what many men say. With such a great mix of price and convenience, how can a guy go wrong?
“It’s New York. We buy so many things at the bodega. Why not flowers?” said Alex Schafran, 29, an urban studies student from Park Slope, Brooklyn. “I get them there exclusively.”
“Of course, they want the more expensive flowers,” said Ben Wiggins, 24, an actor from Astoria. “But I think [deli flowers] work. If your presentation’s good, they have the same effect.”
So, guys — think your honey can tell the difference between deli roses and florist flowers?
“No. No. No, no, no, no, no!” exclaimed adman Jose Morales, 45, who will be picking up flowers for his wife from a Korean deli. “They have good flowers – $12 for a dozen, which is great!”
What about it, ladies? Can you tell?
“Absolutely,” said Alison Ostergaard, 29, an actress from Inwood. “The florist puts little touches on it; they make it personal. The florist flowers, there’s a ribbon on it. Florist flowers, they last for about a week.”
“There’s a big difference,” said singer Cristina Zampiero, 30, of Hells Kitchen. “I can tell the frozen from the fresh. They don’t last as long – and they don’t smell the same.
“You want to feel special on Valentine’s Day,” she added. “You don’t want to feel you got the knockoff from the deli. I try not to get my hopes up too high, but guys are stupid sometimes.”
Well, Cristina, you needn’t worry about it.
In a telephone interview, Zampiero’s longtime boyfriend, 32-year-old network administrator Orson Joseph, said he wasn’t planning on getting his sweetie flowers at all. We won’t spoil the surprise, but it involves a blindfold and Off-Broadway tickets. “She’s going to love it,” Joseph promised.
With Carrie Melago
Graphic: WHAT PRICE LOVE? The price of a dozen red roses can vary greatly, depending on where you buy them:$8 to $15 7 Brothers Famous Deli, 49th St. and Ninth Ave.
$9.99 Premium Farm Gourmet Deli, 72nd St. between York and First Aves.
$19.99-$30 Rooster Flowers, 59th St. and Columbus Ave.
$25 Green Emporium, 48th St. and Eighth Ave.
$69.96 Proflowers.com
$71.99 1800flowers.com
$75-$85 Manhattan Tower Florist*, 43rd St. and Ninth Ave.
$79.97 marthasflowers.com
$89.98 FTD.com*
$100-$150 Surroundings*, 79th St. between
Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.
$145 Bloom*, 50th St. and Lexington Ave.
* includes vase
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