Study: Valentine's Day candy marked up to 253% over regular prices. Here are tips to save money

Romance is in the air, and on the shelves, as Valentine's Day approaches. Rows and rows of pink and red chocolate boxes, sumptuous baked treats, chocolate-covered strawberries and heart-themed candies are just waiting for you to prove your love by calorie content.

Americans are expected to spend nearly $26 billion this Valentine's Day, according to an annual survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics, and 57% of us will be buying candy for Feb. 14, 2024.

But you might want to take a look at the prices. Those romantic, specially packaged favorites might cost you a lot more than you expect.

Nerds Valentines? They'll run you 8% more than just buying a regular pack. The Reese's cups in a special heart-shaped Valentine's box are 174% more expensive than a non-romantic bag of them, by weight. And the Ferrero Rocher 12-pack with the red bow on the box will run you 253% more than the one without.

Food and cooking site Pantry & Larder took a look at how much Valentine's Day-themed candies cost at Walmart compared to the regular versions using price per ounce to account for differences in package weights. Here's what they found.

What are the biggest markups on Valentine's Day candy?

Of the special Valentine's Day candy products Pantry & Larder examined, here are the biggest jumps in regular prices without sales or discounts. The weights on some packaging are different so the numbers you want to look at are the per-ounce prices.

• Ferrero Rocher, 253% markup: 12-count Valentine's box is $16.86 ($3.18/oz), regular 12-pack is $5.56 ($0.90/oz).

• Sour Patch Kids candy, 229% markup: Heart box is $3.96 ($1.15 oz), regular bag is $1.24 ($0.35/oz)

• M&Ms, 207% markup: 10 oz Cupid Mix of red, white and pink candies is $13.19 ($1.32/oz), but the plain old bag is $4.28 ($0.43/oz)

• Haribo Goldbears gummies, 174% markup: $5.97 ($0.85/oz) for heart packaging, $2.50 ($0.31/oz) without

• Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. 174% markup: Heart-shaped box is $10.98 ($1.18/oz), a bag of them is $4.56 ($0.43/oz)

Brands such as Lindt, Dove and Russell Stover tended to run a 75-120% markup, the study found.

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Are any Valentine's Day candies cheaper than the regular ones?

Kind of surprisingly, yes. Hershey's Valentine's Kisses were actually cheaper at Walmart than the regular ones, $3.96 for a Valentine's bag ($0.69/ounce) vs. $4.56 ($0.42/ounce).

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Saving money on Valentine's Day candy

What you do with this information is up to you. Is your loved one a person who appreciates a heart-shaped box or a bowl of pink M&Ms? You know where to find them.

But if they don't care, or if they value thriftiness, there are cheaper ways to feed a sweet tooth.

"To save money, consider buying candy in bulk and creating personalized combinations for your loved ones," said Pantry & Larder's Veronica Fletcher. "This not only adds a personal touch but also avoids the premium pricing of Valentine’s-themed packaging."

You also can make or bake your own sweet treats for a more personal touch.

Happy Discount Chocolate Day, to those who celebrate BOGO half-off, other deals. When's best day to buy Valentine's Day candy?

But the very best day to buy your Valentine's Day candy is Feb. 15.

After the holiday, stores will start marking down all the perishable heart-themed stuff to clear the shelves for St. Patrick's Day and Easter. They can't warehouse the candy for next year (at least I hope they can't) so it'll be your time to get some great deals that taste just as good as they did the day before.

In 2023, KTAL News found candy was only marked down 15% at Target stores, but between 50-60% at Walgreens locations.

"One of the best-kept secrets for V-Day discounts is drug stores," KTAL's Christa Swanson said. "Many, like CVS and Walgreens, have a larger stock of candy left over than other big chains. Shoppers can even find steeper discounts than some other retailers."

CVS put "buy one, get one half off" deals on select Lindt, Ghiradelli and Hershey's chocolate products last year. And several high-end stores had some impressive sales.

Eating out should be much less crowded on Feb. 15 as well, so if your significant other isn't tied to the calendar, think about planning a candy-filled, less-stressed Thursday Valentine's this year.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Valentine's Day candy: What to buy, discounts for holiday chocolates