Businesses around campus are bracing themselves for Valentine’s Day, stockpiling flowers, chocolate and lingerie.

Seven delivery trucks will be circulating all day for Choles Campus Flowers on University Avenue. Roses-R-Read on State Street ordered 10 times its normal stock of flowers, according to employees.

Dee Lewis and Kim Mattioli come to work at Choles every Valentine’s season to help with the business.

“Designers will be putting bouquets together until two in the morning Thursday night,” Lewis said. “It’s really intense.”

Lewis and Mattioli said red roses remain the most popular flower with men, but women are also starting to buy sunflowers and spring bouquets for their friends on Valentine’s Day.

“Mother’s Day used to be our busiest day, because everybody has a mother,” Lewis said. “But now Valentine’s Day is not limited to a girlfriend-boyfriend thing, and more people are buying for friends.”

Every Valentine’s Day, customers form lines running out the door of Choles onto the sidewalk.

Junior Matt Bruch said he waited almost a half-hour last Valentine’s Day to buy a rose for his girlfriend at Choles.

Mattioli said it is frustrating every year to deal with students who have not pre-ordered their flowers and try to buy them at the last minute.

“It’s usually freshmen that come the last day,” Mattioli said.

Lewis said flowers for Valentine’s Day need to be ordered at least two to three days in advance, but a few more orders might be manageable Thursday.

Freshman Greg Oelrich said he bought his girlfriend of 11 months a 38″ teddy bear for Valentine’s Day. He advised other guys to tap into their softer sides when shopping for their special girls.

“Be sensitive,” Oelrich said. “Some guys are pretty bullheaded.”

Other retailers have stocked up on more risqué merchandise for the holiday.

Sophomore Adrienne Byrl, an employee of Westtowne Mall’s Victoria’s Secret, said the store was even crowded Tuesday during the blizzard.

“How did you get here?” Byrl said Tuesday. She said Victoria’s Secret always stocks up on specific kinds of lingerie for Valentine’s Day.

“We order a lot of red and pink outfits, and panties with little heart prints and stuff,” Byrl said, laughing.

She said the store sells mainly silky nightwear during the holiday.

“Normally the stuff we sell is more functional, but now we have a lot of fun, lacier stuff,” she said.