WEB EXTRA: Candy Shops Bustling on Eve of Valentine's Day

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- It's the night before Valentine's Day and that means long hours for those dealing chocolates, flowers and other treats.

KOLR10 News caught up with Becky Sheets who works at Candy House on S. Campbell in Springfield.

"This is the busiest," she says. "Christmas is a busy holiday, but it's pretty much a month. This is pretty well consolidated into a week and then two days. Today is just crazy busy. Tomorrow is going to be even more so."

A new survey finds Americans will spend $18.6 billion on Valentine's Day gifts this year, and men will spend twice as much as the ladies. The National Retail Federation finds shoppers will spend about $131 on Valentine's Day gifts, up about $5 from last year.

Survey: Average Person to Spend $131 on Valentine's Day

"Tomorrow we're going to have 400 dozen [strawberries] to dip," adds Sheets (full interview above). "That's just for tomorrow. Today's been very busy. It's almost around the clock. People come in like at 3 in the morning."

Nationwide, about $1.6 billion will be spent on candy, $1.9 billion on flowers, and $4.1 billion on jewelry.

"Being in a candy store is really fun. You have to stay focused and you want to wait on the customers as quickly and efficiently as you can. Yes, there's stress, but it's just different. People who come into a candy store are usually happy."

Join us LIVE on Ozarks Local News at 9 and KOLR10 News at 10 as we check in with Linda's Flowers!