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Sweet Deals On Last-Minute Valentine's Day Gifts

LOS ANGELES (CBS) —"Wherefore art thou, Romeo?"

Valentine's Day is here once again, and while many lovebirds who wait until the last minute are often forced to rummage through the flower shop leftovers, there are still plenty of options around town for both the bargain shopper and the non-traditionalist.

For the best deals on flowers, KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports you may want to make your way downtown before all the best arrangements are gone.

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At least one wholesaler between 6th and 8th streets in downtown L.A. has seen about 500 arrangements of red roses all pre-sold days ago.

For those looking for something sweet without all the sugar in a traditional box of chocolates, Diane Knight, owner of Lady Di's Cookies in Valencia tells KFWB's Penny Griego and Phil Hulett you can get cookies and brownies made the old-fashioned way at her store.

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And while many last-minute Romeos will opt to go with a few balloons with their sweets, Southern California Edison is warning consumers that helium-filled metallic balloons can drift and come in contact with high-voltage lines where electricity can arc across the balloons, cause short circuits, burn wires and interrupt service.

Resulting power outages may last from a few minutes to several hours, lead to inoperable stoplights and possible traffic problems, and could even put a damper on Valentine's Day festivities, according to William Messner, SCE's acting director of Corporate Environment Health and Safety.

And maybe that's the lesson in all of this: if you put off plunking down your cash too long on Valentine's Day, the lights over many a love nest could go out all over the city tonight.

To find great flower deals in Los Angeles, visit California Flower Mall.

(©2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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