Florists in Sochi will be doing double duty on Friday thanks to the ongoing figure skating competitions, and the added bonus of Valentine’s Day.
While many stadiums and arenas are modernizing to accommodate increasingly technologically savvy audiences, the Iceberg Skating Palace in Sochi has taken a different approach to please its occupants — selling lots of flowers.
While it’s not free WiFi, the multiple florist stands in the arena provide fans, visitors, athletes and the forgetful sweetheart with the opportunity to buy anything from a single rose to a variety of full bouquets.
Jizayz Emyon manages one such stand, and he says that they’ll be open for every day of figure skating. As he told Tripp Mickle of Sports Business Daily, though, Valentine’s Day is an especially busy one.
Typically, Emyon’s stand will sell around 50 bouquets a day, each one costing 500 rubies, or around 15 U.S dollars. A single rose costs $6 (200 rubles). The shop can count on making close to $700 each day they’re open.
While sales for figure skating typically depend on the popularity of the day’s skaters and their performances, Valentine’s Day provides Emyon with the ability to market to anyone who passes by his flower stand.
Who knows, maybe he’ll sell some flowers to an enamored pair of Olympic Tinder users.
