He said buying in roses for Valentine's Day was always a gamble, because it depended on the level of demand, especially this year as the big day falls on Saturday.
He confessed to being a bit nervous about whether he had bought an oversupply of blooms this year.
"If I don't sell them all my wife is going to be the most spoiled girl in town," he quipped.
A spokesperson at Bayfair Florist said it was "pretty busy" with a huge demand for the traditional red roses and lots of deliveries to local businesses.
Blooms on Cameron owner Margaret Beck said it was a little quieter this year as the Saturday celebration appeared to have spread the love over more than one day.
"This year is a little different because Valentine's Day falls on Saturday and for us sales will be running over two days.
"In some ways it makes it easier because lots of people have wanted their flower deliveries to business places today," she said.
In Rotorua, "Love is not dead, romance is not dead, declared Daisy Chain Florist owner Katie McLaughlin.
"People are still getting into Valentine's Day, a lot of the younger people do, and you do get an older gentleman who is still a romantic." She expected Valentine's Day to be busy, despite it falling on a Saturday this year.
"We have been offering free workplace deliveries on a Friday afternoon, so guys can whip [flowers] out on Saturday morning and have brownie points for the whole weekend."
She said roses were still the most popular choice for Valentine's Day, but there were other ways.
"Something like a bunch of pink lilies with a nice scent is still a great option."
Mistress of Cakes owner Siobain Higgins said she had been getting orders and expected a last-minute rush.
"We are going to have little posies of flowers, just something you can come in and grab, and then we've got three cakes you can choose from to pre-order for your Valentine on Saturday."
She said many people would be creating their own Valentine's Day treats.
This is one of the busiest times of the year for lingerie store Bras N Things Rotorua. Area manager Sarah Miles said anything red and black was popular. "We've had the girls come in buying for Valentine's night but now we're seeing the guys come through wanting something for their wives and partners.
"It's one of our busiest days of the year and we have heaps of gift boxes ready."
Fifty Shades of Grey themed lingerie, nighties and accessories were selling well alongside the Playboy range, Ms Miles said.
"We have two types of guys come, there's the kind that know exactly what they want, some have sneaked a peek in their wife's drawers and others are a little bit clueless but that's where we come in to help."
Some Masterton shops are also offering something different.
Melissa Cullen, manager of La Fleure Floriste, has ordered 350 roses in a variety of colours including red, pink, yellow, white, orange and even purple dolcetto roses.
"There are other options if people want to be a bit different. Sometimes it's nice to do something different."
She said this year people had a bit more time to think about it, with it falling on a Saturday, and some would be taking advantage of that.
"Some of the guys wake up and realise they've done nothing and go running around."
Ten O'clock Cookie Bakery Cafe manager Monique Kloeg said the cafe had special love themed treats on offer.
"We're doing little chocolate Valentine's lollipops, with Belgian chocolate. It's the good stuff."
The cafe also had rose-frosted Death by Chocolate desserts.
"We have done them for quite a few years now. They are popular; a little dessert to share on Valentine's night."
She said the bakers would be making about 100 of them.
Tomorrow night the cafe would also have a special Valentine's shared dessert platter as part of its new coffee and dessert nights. "We've got quite a few bookings for that."
Meanwhile, love has taken hold in Wanganui in an entirely different form - the love lock.
A love lock is a padlock with the names, usually of two lovers, inscribed on it and then locked on to bridges or other public places. The key is then thrown away, symbolising everlasting love.
Twenty-four love locks have been attached to the metal grating the top Memorial Tower on Durie Hill. It's not clear when the first lock was put there but the earliest visible date is early last year, with the most recent in the last few weeks.
Paris has become famous for its love locks with hundreds of thousands locked on to bridges around the city.
Closer to home, love locks also began popping up in Wellington on a waterfront footbridge near Frank Kitts Park.
Authorities around the world have been removing the amorous manifestations due to safety and aesthetic concerns.
This month the National Capital Authority began removing love locks from a Canberra bridge, citing risk to the integrity of the bridge due to the weight of the locks and metal corrosion.
One of the world's most famous love lock sites is on the Pont des Arts in Paris which is said to have 700,000 locks on it. Last year part of the parapet of the bridge collapsed under the weight of the locks.-- Reporting from the Bay of Plenty Times, Rotorua Daily Post, Wairarapa Times-Age and Wanganui Chronicle.
