Valentine's Day: Teddy bear sales decline as hampers, wine, take over

The sale of teddy bears, once a popular Valentine's Day gift, seems to be declining in Ассrа.

Vendors say many buyers now opt for smaller gifts and hampers to cut back on spending since the stuffed animals were expensive to them.

A trader, who has been selling teddy bears for years, Madam Afa Mensah said; "These days, people don't really buy the teddy bears, especially the big sizes. Most people just ask for the price, then walk away," she told our reporter at the Makola Market in Accra last Tuesday.

At the Finest Gifts shop at Kwabenya, hamper packages that included; a mini teddy bear, Toblerone chocolate, a flower and other items being sold for GH₵450, were going stale.

The attendant, who gave her name as Esther said sales had been slow and those items had been on display for a while. "We are waiting, maybe last minute, they will come and buy." she hoped.

this year, I had to do discount sales by almost 50 per cent but it hasn't helped much," said Theresa Appiah, a vendor at Adentan Commandos, Accra.

According to her, people just weren't into teddy bears anymore and even if they bought, they preferred the small sizes to the large ones because of the price.

She added that what was currently selling were perfumes, wristwatches, chocolates, flowers and gift vouchers.

In separate interviews, many buyers said they found teddy bears expensive and occupied space.

"The first time I asked about the price of a teddy bear, 1 said EII, for a doll? 1 think it was around GH₵1,000. They are cute and all but very expensive," William, a university student noted.

A hairdresser, Gifty Adomake, said she preferred gifts such as skin care products or perfumes to large teddy bears.

"Maybe a small-sized teddy bear because money is hard to come by, it is important to think about more productive purchases."

Other items she had available were gift cards and skin care products which she said sold faster. Along the Accra Newtown stretch, the manager of Luzoro Gifts and Souvenirs, Rev. Desmond Kwaw Hinson said even the customised toddy bears with names engraved in his shop were struggling to attract buyers.

He blamed the economic situation in the country and the dollar-to-cedi exchange rate as contributing to the increase in prices of teddy bears which began from GH₵700, resulting in low sales

"This year, I've gotten more orders for perfumes, chocolates, wine and flowers instead," he said.

Online vendors

With online shopping also growing, vendors raised concerns about the decline in sales of stuffed animals. Many gift shops contacted including Art of Giving, Time and Chance Gift Shop and Lotus Gallery, all gave similar accounts.

"Our focus now is more on hampers, perfumes, customised items and romantic dinners and getaway experiences instead.

At the Lotus Gallery, the attendant, who gave her name as Efia, noted that social media had also influenced new trends in gifting,

"Yes, teddy bears are still there and they buy but not as much as the simple less expensive items.

We have had to incorporate some of these trends such as branded cups, jewellery for example, in our packages," she said.

She added that she planned experiences such as dinner dates, weekend getaways, and spa treatments instead of physical presents.

Impact on businesses

With the decline in sales, the impact on these businesses which depend on such seasons to boost profits is a matter of concern.

According to Madam Efia, her pocket had suffered the impact. "Although I haven't really run at a loss because I don't stock up too much of the teddy bears, bad sales also lock up my money; affecting my ability to run the business in the long term.

"I saw a post on Tiktok in which the person said; anka, mi di b3 t) teddy bear nu, mi di b3 t) aponkye kitiwaa awi, to wit; I would rather buy a small goat, cook and eat than use the money to buy a teddy bear," the manager of Luzoro Gifts and Souvenirs, Rev Hinson said.

He added that all these were indications of the decline in the purchase of teddy bears.

Some vendors have started diversifying their stock to match changing demands by selling hampers with wine, perfume, chocolates, small teddy bears champagne and gift cards, among others.