Those who fear that their penchant for procrastination may have foiled plans for a Valentine’s Day of romance can turn to new apps that offer help with dinner reservations and fresh flowers, even at the last minute.
Consumers expect to spend $133 (R1 470) each on Valentine’s Day, with candle-lit dinners, flowers, candy and greeting cards the most common ways for couples to express their love, according to a National Retail Federation survey of more than 6 000 consumers.
But despite the best intentions, without planning Cupid’s arrow may not find its intended target.
For a spouse or significant other who forgot to make dinner reservations on one of the busiest restaurant nights of the year an app called NoWait lets users view how booked a restaurant is and has virtual waiting lists.
“Valentine’s Day should be spent falling in love with your wife again, or your date. It shouldn’t be stuck waiting,” said Ware Sykes, the chief executive of NoWait.
The app shows how long a restaurant waiting list is and the estimated time and notifies you when a table becomes available.
“It means you can make time to have a glass of wine at home or at a bar,” Sykes explained.
Thousands of US restaurants are available on the app, which launched last week.
Serious procrastinators in San Francisco can have flowers delivered with a hand-written note in 90 minutes via BloomThat, a new iOS app. – Reuters