Shopping For Valentine’s Day Cards

bad valentine's day cards

Last year I took this picture at Target. I was wondering if they were giving away samples, or if someone dropped a wad of money. But the throngs were gathered around the Valentine’s Day card display. Lovers lost in Aisle 8, looking for just the right thing to say. No, not that. No, not that. No, not that. There was a certain robotic methodology going on. Open a card, look at it, put it back.

If you ever bought a card, there are so many that are just ludicrous. Who would buy some of these cards? Cheesy sayings, meaningless phrases, words that mean nothing. And then there are the provocative, lurid and even obscene gestures in some of them. You can insult your sweetheart all for the low low price of $3.95 plus tax!

What makes for a good card? How can sentiments be appropriate, written by a stranger? It’s a real trick. I have a friend who actually writes cards a and I asked for her opinion. She said this:

“Greeting card writers never write to strangers. They write heart to heart, situation to situation, as though they have ten thousand close friends to send a card to. Writers immerse themselves in the Valentine market, looking for key phrases, buzz words, and thoughts that would be worth sharing in a card and create that piece. The skill pays off at the register when buyers find exactly the sentiment they want, expressed in a way they would say it. The card then becomes a personal expression of love from one heart to another.

When you shop for such thoughts, some of them are downright cheesy. Some are pretty good.

What are your thoughts on cards? Do you like getting them? Are you frustrated shopping for them?

What’s the most interesting Valentine’s Day card you’ve seen on the aisle this year?

Here are a few examples: