If you’re planning to shower that special someone with gifts this Valentine’s Day, rest assured that you are not alone. Despite our chilly climate, Brits are a warm, romantic bunch after all. A study by Worldpay suggested that on average, Brits spend £45 each on gifts for Valentine’s Day, with Preston being the most generous city – spending £53.
But while our hearts may be overflowing, our schedules are a little tighter. According to a study by Barclays, 40% of us leave buying the perfect Valentine’s Day gift to the last week.
Given that Valentine’s Day classics include huge bunches of flowers, stacks of chocolates and pungent perfumes, it might be a good idea to get this delivered to your loved one’s front door. Even if you live with them, you can’t beat the surprise of having a huge bunch of flowers delivered in the morning by a courier. Who doesn’t like opening the door to special gifts?
What you might not know is that different courier services have different rules about what they’re willing to deliver. So don’t assume you can send red roses, Belgian chocolates, decorated heart-shaped cupcake or designer perfumes with every courier. So what if you’re all ready to send your gift but your chosen courier won’t take it? What are you to do if you want a surprise delivery at their door or you’re one of the 40% that is pushed for time? How will you survive Valentine’s Day?
Never fear. Parcelforce Worldwide to the rescue.
Because we are the UK’s delivery experts and happy to play cupid, we will be on hand to help when other couriers fall short.
As long as you send your perishable foodstuffs and items – which includes the flowers, plants, chocolates and cupcakes – via guaranteed next day delivery and you think your goodies will withstand a 48 hour transit time, we will happily be party to your food and flower-based wooing. You must also label your packages with PERISHABLE, though rest assured that this is no reflection on the longevity of your love.
The bad news is that you can’t just send absolutely anything you fancy. The good news is that a lot of this stuff may not be a recommended Valentine’s Day gift, so we might be doing you a favour. Ever helpful, your fairy godmother at Parcelforce Worldwide has decided to put together a list of the top 5 things you can’t send and suggestions for what you should send instead.
So here they are the top 5 things you can’t send with Parcelforce Worldwide...
Why it’s a bad idea: Aside from the fact that it’s highly flammable, do you think your loved one’s heart will be aflutter when they’re presented with a bottle of absinthe by the delivery driver first thing in the morning?
What you should send instead: Champagne of course! Just wrap it in polythene packaging and mark it as ‘FRAGILE’. There’s nothing romantic about a broken bottle of bubbly. If you need some tips on how to make sure your Valentine’s Day goodies are properly packaged, check out our handy guide on the subject.
Why they’re a bad idea: While watching fireworks together can be highly romantic, nobody wants to be sent a box they have to arrange themselves. It would be like sending your loved one all the ingredients to a romantic meal and expecting them to do the cooking! Besides, our delivery drivers may be incredibly capable but defusing explosives is not part of their job.
What you should send instead: When it comes to romance, scent makes sense. Everybody likes to smell their best, so why not treat that special someone to a perfume or aftershave? Just make sure that the bottle is no more than 150ml in volume and you can have a maximum of 4 bottles in each parcel – though you probably won’t need to send quite that much.
Why they’re a bad idea: Cute? Yes. Likely to please? Possibly. Something you send by courier? Absolutely not. This goes for all living creatures. Although the idea of your loved one being thrilled by an adorable kitten or puppy, you might find that pet ownership may not end up being all that romantic after all.
What you should send instead: A cuddly toy. All the cuteness of a furry little animal, none of the welfare concerns. Also, you can put a teddy bear in the washing machine – make sure to check the label, just in case.
Why they’re a bad idea: There’s nothing romantic about paintballing. Very few people spend their honeymoon on a paintballing holiday.
What you should send instead: Say it with flowers. Like paintballing, you get all the splashes of colour, just without any of the bruises the next day. Whether they’re roses, tulips or orchids, there’s no surer sign that your love’s in bloom.
Why it’s a bad idea: While we understand the appeal of emerging from a cloud of dry ice like an 80s soul singer, it’s also 109.3 degrees below zero and so hardly a suitable gift to send. But you probably knew that.
What you should send instead: If you want to create an atmosphere for love, why not try your hand at some smouldering love poetry instead? If you don’t fancy yourself much of a Wordsworth, why not take some tips from former poet laureate, Andrew Motion? A full list of our prohibited items is available here, so do check before you send: https://www.parcelforce.com/help-and-advice/sending/prohibitions-and-restrictions
We know that Valentine’s Day is the time of lavish gestures. In fact in 2017 it was estimated that Brits spent a whopping £1 billion on gifts and cards. If you’re worried about potential damage when sending your tokens of love by courier, we have that covered too. While all express Parcelforce Worldwide services have compensation cover ranging from £100 to £200, we also have extra cover options that can cover up to a total of £2,500. That way, you can dazzle your special someone with total confidence that no one will lose out.
Because we operate internationally, Parcelforce Worldwide are all about celebrating weird and wonderful traditions around the world. From hiding brooms to burning snowmen, these brilliant holiday customs are a great excuse to do something different, give and receive presents and just spend time together.
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