Heart Bubbles Over Walmart: Valentine's Day at Retail

The calendar retail follows to celebrate holidays monetarily will always be a bit of a mystery, mostly because it changes from store to store, region to region, and year to year. One year, three days before Halloween, it seemed the spooky holiday was abandoned and Target aisles went full speed through the nearest wall into Christmas Town. This year, my local PA Walmart hung onto those creepy vibes at least a week after the blessed day, allowing me to scoop up makeup, costume pieces, and monster decor at 90% off. We haven't even hit the 10th of January yet, but my Walmart has gone completely red and pink with Valentine's Day hearts slapped on the belly of every licensed character imaginable. While I can recall some interesting Valentine's merch in the past (a furry sasquatch themed, heart-shaped box instantly comes to mind), this year makes me think someone suggested they had not been exploiting the lovey-dovey holiday enough. The amount of merch and wide range of characters spotted is STAGGERING ...for the wallet....because there's some awesome stuff! Prepare your bank account and start your hunting engines...

The coolest thing spotted this year that I don't recall seeing before... PLUSH BOQUETS! (pronounced like buckets but with a bow, of course). Whether you're a giant smushball or a dried up husk with coal for a heart, Walmart has u covered...

I'm a big fan of blow molds, and I swear I've never seen Valentines themed ones before. Interesting idea!

And then there's MUGS. Good for any occasion. Nothing says luvin like a piece of clay you can wrap your lips around. The Butt-Head mug is GOLD. 

Pokemon has their own mini line of battle figures with heart bubbles on the packaging...

Then there's the greeters. WHO IS BUYING THESE GIANT CARTOON CHARACTERS??!! What becomes of them off season? Do they ride in your passenger seat so you can ride in the HOV lane? Is the HOV lane a thing anymore? I'm unemployable so I have no idea. 

Let us know if you spotted anything awesome this smush-berry kissy huggy season!

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