Every year, people around the world pull out their wallets before the 14th of February to surprise their sweethearts with a gift.
Trying to capitalize on the celebration, businesses produce all sorts of products that are meant to catch the attention of potential buyers. But not all of these attempts are successful.
From chocolates and greeting cards to candles and underwear, we at Bored Panda collected some of the biggest Valentine's Day design fails to remind you to keep your eyes open when spending your hard-earned cash.
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A Very Important Question
We Had Quite A Windy Valentine’s Day
In 2021, Valentine's Day consumerism reached the second-highest point in spending in the holiday's history with a total of $23.9 billion, according to data released by the National Retail Federation (NRF).
The largest consumer spending on Valentine's Day goods calculated by NRF occurred in 2020, with a total of $27.4 billion. The upcoming 2023 celebration of the holiday is expected to be on par with the previous year's spending total.
Local Pharmacy Gets It On For The Valentine's Day Display
These Heart-Shaped Balloons
Happy Valentine's Day
This brings us to another popular product for this time of the year. New data from the UK reveals searches for "sti kit" have already seen a 20% increase in the last month.
But despite this rise in proactivity, new research from Superdrug Online Doctor, a service that helps people discreetly order treatments online from UK-registered doctors, has discovered that 14% of Brits would never tell their partner about their STI status.
Key takeaways from the research included:
- Over half (51%) said they’d want to know if their date had an STI but only 28% would tell their date if they did.
- Searches for ‘sti home test’ have seen a 78% rise versus the monthly average.
- 91% of Brits said an STI diagnosis would negatively impact their mental health, relationships, social life, love life, general confidence, or even their career.
My Girlfriend's Son Bought Us Candy For Valentine's Day. I'm Not Sure What Message He Is Trying To Convey
The Before And After Of Valentine's Day
I Tried To Make A Heart But My Neighbor Asked Me Why I Put The Devil In My Window
The research comes from a recent survey of 2,000 sexually active adults, in the hope of breaking the taboo around STIs and helping people openly discuss their experiences.
Superdrug Online Doctor's sexologist, Jess O'Reilly Ph.D., explained to Bored Panda in a statement how people can potentially approach the topic if needed:
"Talking about testing and STIs can be intimidating because of stigma and a general unease around sex. But talking about sex ought not to be awkward. If you’re comfortable enough to get naked and rub your bodies against one another, hopefully you'll also cultivate a connection that allows you to talk about your desires, needs, boundaries, and expectations around safer sex - which includes STI testing."
If Only There Was Another Letter That Was Shaped More Like A Heart In “Happy Valentine's Day” Other Than D
No one gonna mention how it says "bring both FREE!" As in bring both your wife and your secret girlfriend?
Valentine’s Day-Themed Meat
My Fiancé Has A “Valentine’s Day Elf”. Looks To Me Like Santa Joined The Klan
Subway Near Us Put Valentine’s Day Advert On Shared Sign
Talking about sex and STIs can be tricky, especially with someone who you are, or planning to be, intimate with. According to O'Reilly and another Superdrug Online Doctor's expert, Julia Kotziamani, who is a love, sex, and relationship educator, the key things to remember before such a discussion are:
- Start the conversation early;
- Get knowledgeable about STIs;
- Be open and accepting;
- Remove the shame;
- Stay up to date with testing;
- Remember the first time is the hardest;
- Consider your partner’s discomfort with the topic;
- Be prepared for their reaction.
Not What I Thought Would Be Delivered To My Valentine
The Ice Cream Cake I Ordered For Valentine’s Day Said “I Love You” But Some Of The Letters Fell Off During Transit
When you want to send a Valentine but you don’t want to overwhelm them with affection
I showed this to my husband, he told me he knows what he's getting me for Valentine's Day now, lol.
When you give it back to him, he will read (& say) "Oh"...
Load More Replies...I'd actually like this more than I love you. If you're partner is comfortable enough with you to get you something more casual that's fantastic
Man be like, "OMG! Cool. I'm so glad that when we"watch Netflix and chill", that "yo" understand it doesn't mean anything deeper! Ha ha ha! Get it? Yo? You? Ha ha!" ....*taking the cake, walking out*.... "Thanks for the cake! Won't call yo ever again!"....
I don't know why this made me laugh so hard, imagine giving your love a cake that says "yo"
I'm Sorry, What Kind Of Valentines?
Provocative Heart Candles
If you're still unsure about what to get for your significant other, a new survey conducted by Kelton Global, found that the most desired gifts are:
- a nice dinner at a restaurant (48%);
- chocolates (34%);
- flowers (31%);
- an experience, such as a massage or concert (28%)
- jewelry (25%);
- a vacation (22%);
- something handmade (17%);
- electronics (14%).
Just make sure they're well-made! For more abominations, though, fire up our older article 35 Valentine’s Design Fails That Probably Shouldn’t Have Been Approved.
The Flower Is Going Through The Dog's Bottom Jaw, This Is On A Valentine's Day Card
I’m Ready To Tell My Valentine How Much I Oove Him
Nothing Says Valentine's Day Like, I'm Going Kidnap You And Tie You With Duct Tape
My last GF would have loved that. She was also former Soviet Army and could kill me six different ways...
The Heart Doesn't Fit Into The Pit
Stocked The Valentine's Day Shelves, Boss
My Dad Wanted To Make Heart-Shaped Rose Cookies For Valentine's Day. Unsure If I Should Tell Him He Made Different-Looking Cookies
My Stepsister Got A Card From Her Middle School On Valentine’s Day With An Unsolvable Maze On It
This Suction Cup "Heart"
Can’t Forget The Chocolate On Valentine's Day
The Perfect Valentine's Sweet To Give To An Enemy
Sample Text On Valentine's Day Underwear
My Cousin Didn’t Want Any Writing On Her Valentine's Cake So She Asked For “Just A Small Heart Please”
Let's Give This Mug A Pinky And Call It A Valentine's Gift. Genius
Found A Spelling Mistake On A Valentine's Card Stocked By A Major Supermarket
I believe this is intentional. The cat is correcting the dog, while simultaneously complimenting the dog.
They Messed Up The Pun On My Daughter's Valentine's Day Card
Packaged The Valentine's Banner, Boss. This Is How It Came Out Of The Packaging. How Do They Get The Letters Facing The Right Way But Then Spell It Backwards And Not Realize
This Candle Has Heart-Shaped Holes In Its Holder What Cause Any Melted Wax Made When The Candle Is Lit To Leak Out
Using something the wrong way sometimes gets you surprises... it's made to hold the tiny candles in aluminum cups
My Local Grocery Store Is Selling Heart-Shaped Cuts Of Meat For Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine's Day
To The Your Heart
Was Going To Give My Mom A Valentine’s Day Balloon Because She Lives Alone But This Is What Came In The Mail
My Wife Is To My Right But My Valentine Is To My Left
This Retro Valentine I Found In My Inheritance. I'm Still Not Sure What It's Trying To Say
Happy Valentine’s Day Higs For Everyone
Just Noticed This Sticker That My Grandma Sent Me For Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day. The Horror Movie
Valentine's Day Card Printing Error From 2004
When I Order Valentine's Day Cards Online For My Daughter's Preschool Class And Don't Look At Them Until The Night Before
Nothing Says “I Love You” On Valentine’s Day Like A Heart-Shaped Meatloaf
Valentine's Has Never Been More... Cute (Supposed To Say "Love Is In The Air" But I Read It As "Love Sin The I Air")
Valentine's Day Lollipop Gone Wrong
To The Moon Heart
This Valentine’s Day Card
Truly Captivating Valentine's Day Socks
Everyone Knows You Gotta Get Your Girl Something Dumb For Valentine's Day
These Were At Walmart. They're Called "Unicorn Flash". They Were In The Valentine's Day Toy Section
Happy Vaenitnels Day
This Valentine's Decoration Looks Like It Says "Lone". Happy Valentine's Day
This Valentine's Day "Love" Banner
A Valentine's Cat. I Think
Oh I would sooo take this...I would feel horrible for WEEKS thinking about it if I didnt!
This Stuffed Animal My Mother Got For Valentine's Day
The Letters Go Outside Of The Heart
When You Try To Be Cute On Valentine’s Day. Expectation vs. Reality
Both The Blue And Red Packets Say True Blue Valentine
I’m color blind and even I can tell the difference between blue and brown!
How To Make A Husband/Boyfriend The Bad Guy On Valentine's Day
The Gas Station I Work At Sells Donuts From A Local Donut Shop. Valentine's Came Early
Spelling Valentine's Wrong For A Valentine's Card
Dunkin Donuts Changed The Shape Of The Donuts To Hearts For Valentine’s Day But Also Made Them Smaller And Charged An Extra 10 Cents
When You Want To Send Your Valentine Mixed Messages
This Valentine's Card Content Was Printed Upside Down
Is That What I Think It Is? Found At CVS At The Half Price Of Valentine's Day Shelves
Happy Day Valentine’s (Hanging Decoration At A Local Mall)
"All You Nee Dis Loe V" - A Lady Is Making/Selling These For Valentine's Day On A Local Buy/Sell/Trade Page
Pistacchio Tree For My Girlfriend In San Valentine's
I was excited till I realised there are no nuts it's just the shells.
This Valentine's Day Card Is Missing The "Of" Before Love
The Perfect Gift For Valentine's Day Colon Play?
My Daughter Received This Valentine At School Today. It Came With A Ring Pop With Lips On It
Shashta Soft Drinks (Which Still Exists!) Created This Magnificent Clusterfark Of Letters For Valentine's Day. Still Up On Their Webpage
Shasta is the house brand at one of our local grocery stores here. This sign is supposed to say Hasta be Shasta. This was their sales slogan when I was a kid.
These Valentine's Day Cards Come With A Cutout To Attach A Magnet On The Front, But Then The Magnet Blocks Half The Message
Don't Wait Until Valentine's Day To Build Relationship Healthys
This Valentine's Sucker Has No Place To Actually Write The “To” Or “From” Because They Take Up The Entire Space
This Valentine's Balloon Has A Printed Barcode Under The Barcode Sticker
The number is different. Clearly the sticker was placed so it had a new working code for scanning. The one on the balloon is probably for the distributor, the sticker for the retailer
Target's Got Valentines For Kids Who Really Hate Their Classmates (Or Who Really Like Them?)
I read that as 24 flick-em VALENTINES. Not what other people are seeing.
This Valentine's Day Decoration
This Is A Part Of The Valentine's Display At My Grocery Store
The Best Gift You Could Reccieve This Valentine's Day
Flyer For My Church's Upcoming Valentine's Dance
Local Thai Restaurant Using Uganda Knuckles For Valentine's Day Art
this list reminds me of when i was looking at valentines for kids to give to their class and such online, and some of them were really suggestive like “i think you’re really foxy” with a winking fox and the like. i was flabbergasted, these were for CHILDREN and i remarked “may as well put a unicorn and say-“ and then my sister clapped her hand over my mouth. those valentines could’ve been on this list, they were TERRIFYING
What? Where on earth do you see the harm in “I think you’re foxy”? In my day, we used “cute,” but how is “foxy” TERRIFYING to you? Or does “foxy” mean something else in the language you speak, maybe? It’s completely innocuous in English.
Load More Replies...Valentine for kids?!? Guess a lot of people are not familiar with the background .... do they also celebrate Mother's Day for little girls, just because they might be a mother some time in the future? Or Father's Day for little boys? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Valentine
I think we are pretty far from the extremely outdated celebrations one might associate with a saint who was born almost 1,800 years ago, in the literal year 226. Trying to insist that Valentine's Day in 2023 should be about "courtly love" and "romance" only is spurious and facetious. Grandparents can wish their grandkids a happy Valentine's Day. A 6-year-old can give their classmate a "You Are Pawsome!" V-day card. Why CAN'T little kids celebrate V-day in a child-friendly way? As a schoolkid, we always gave little boxes of candy and a child-friendly Valentine's Day card to every other kid in the class. There were no implications or assumptions. No one was trying to insist that Valentine's Day HAD to be romantic/lovey-dovey, or you weren't allowed to celebrate it at all. As an aside, I believe that a little girl absolutely CAN celebrate Mother's Day... with her mother or motherly parental figure, ditto for a little boy and his father or fatherly parental figure. We don't have to force our celebrations into ancient customs that make no sense in the modern world, and we absolutely do NOT have to exclude people from celebrating and enjoying Valentine's Day if they aren't dating/a couple/in a relationship.
Load More Replies...I’ve never celebrated Valentine’s Day with my husband. I truly believe it’s an absolute waste of money. Plus, I’d rather have someone do something nice for me just because, rather than have a set date. In a way, it’s kinda entertaining to watch all these idiots run around, stressing about it, while we just get to sit back & relax. : )
It’s only a “waste of money” if you spend money. There’re thousands of things you can do for free. If you have an imagination, you can use it to have a free and romantic day, and if you don’t, you can carp about the money you’ve misspent, but trying to take the fun out of it for others won’t work. 😉
Load More Replies...this list reminds me of when i was looking at valentines for kids to give to their class and such online, and some of them were really suggestive like “i think you’re really foxy” with a winking fox and the like. i was flabbergasted, these were for CHILDREN and i remarked “may as well put a unicorn and say-“ and then my sister clapped her hand over my mouth. those valentines could’ve been on this list, they were TERRIFYING
What? Where on earth do you see the harm in “I think you’re foxy”? In my day, we used “cute,” but how is “foxy” TERRIFYING to you? Or does “foxy” mean something else in the language you speak, maybe? It’s completely innocuous in English.
Load More Replies...Valentine for kids?!? Guess a lot of people are not familiar with the background .... do they also celebrate Mother's Day for little girls, just because they might be a mother some time in the future? Or Father's Day for little boys? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Valentine
I think we are pretty far from the extremely outdated celebrations one might associate with a saint who was born almost 1,800 years ago, in the literal year 226. Trying to insist that Valentine's Day in 2023 should be about "courtly love" and "romance" only is spurious and facetious. Grandparents can wish their grandkids a happy Valentine's Day. A 6-year-old can give their classmate a "You Are Pawsome!" V-day card. Why CAN'T little kids celebrate V-day in a child-friendly way? As a schoolkid, we always gave little boxes of candy and a child-friendly Valentine's Day card to every other kid in the class. There were no implications or assumptions. No one was trying to insist that Valentine's Day HAD to be romantic/lovey-dovey, or you weren't allowed to celebrate it at all. As an aside, I believe that a little girl absolutely CAN celebrate Mother's Day... with her mother or motherly parental figure, ditto for a little boy and his father or fatherly parental figure. We don't have to force our celebrations into ancient customs that make no sense in the modern world, and we absolutely do NOT have to exclude people from celebrating and enjoying Valentine's Day if they aren't dating/a couple/in a relationship.
Load More Replies...I’ve never celebrated Valentine’s Day with my husband. I truly believe it’s an absolute waste of money. Plus, I’d rather have someone do something nice for me just because, rather than have a set date. In a way, it’s kinda entertaining to watch all these idiots run around, stressing about it, while we just get to sit back & relax. : )
It’s only a “waste of money” if you spend money. There’re thousands of things you can do for free. If you have an imagination, you can use it to have a free and romantic day, and if you don’t, you can carp about the money you’ve misspent, but trying to take the fun out of it for others won’t work. 😉
Load More Replies...