A word to the clueless lover: That recession excuse won’t work.

Retailers are doling out coupons and offering Valentine’s Day packages as they anticipate a decline in sales, but North Texans are refusing to let a busted wallet lead to a broken heart. Couples may share their candlelight dinner entree this year or forgo the priciest bottle of wine, but the ubiquitous red roses and last-minute “I love you” box of chocolates are still craved.

“Mother’s Day has dropped off but not the day for the sweetie pie,” said Lisa Perez, an owner of Joyce Florist of Dallas, as she dodged dangling ornaments of plastic roses and heart-shaped balloons. She said sales at the Oak Cliff store aren’t wilting enough to affect profits. The company has at least 200 deliveries planned for today — inauspicious timing because of Friday the 13th, but the last workday before Cupid’s debut.

“Valentine’s Day is a feel-good holiday, and if your wife or your girlfriend is happy,tiffany and co everyone is happy,” she said.

That same desire prompted Marsha Singer to fill her Central Market shopping cart in Dallas with blackberries, a dozen red roses and a $19 hard box of milk chocolates — on the same day she was laid off.

“Even though we aren’t going to have money, we have each other,” said the 43-year-old Dallas resident. She and her partner still plan on dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant on Saturday. But they’ve decided to split the special three-course meal.

“I have to keep polishing the relationship; otherwise I will be broke and alone,” Singer said.

Valentine’s basics

Valentine’s Day basics like cards, chocolates and flowers are recession-proof because they communicate affection without draining bank accounts, said Dan Howard, a marketing professor and expert on consumer behavior at Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business.

“Who can’t afford $15 for your honey?” he said. The decline will show up in the upscale restaurants and jewelry stores, he added, as the newly frugal recognize that price tags don’t determine devotion.

Total Valentine’s Day spending is expected to decrease by $2.5 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2009 Valentine’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions survey. The report, conducted by BIGresearch, found that consumers plan to spend $102.50 on their gifts this year, about $20 less than last year.

Charles Skibell sees that decline in his empty jewelry shop on Preston Road. At Skibell Fine Jewelry, earrings can sell for more than $2,000. He said his sales are off 50 percent this Valentine’s Day.

“Flat today. Dead,” he said.

North Texas restaurants are faring a bit better. Fine-dining hot spot Bijoux has been booked for silver bangles Valentine’s Day the past two weeks. Heavyweight Fearing’s in the Ritz-Carlton hotel is packed. Hedda Gioia Dowd, who owns the romantic French restaurant Rise No. 1, said they’re “swamped.”

“There’s no recession here,” she joked.

Like many top restaurants, they offer set menus starting at $70.

Simple things

Pam Eudaric-Amiri’s Chocolate Secrets artisan chocolate and cheese shop is further proof that not even a stymied economy can ruin the commercialization of Valentine’s Day.

Sales are up 20 percent this year at the Oak Lawn store, said Eudaric-Amiri, who sells truffles for about $3 a piece.

“People don’t feel good about things, and they suppose, ‘No Mercedes, but I can get a nice box of chocolates and a great glass of wine,’ ” she said.

And these days, love’s cheaper in bulk. Kevin Stevenson has opted to spend his first married Valentine’s Day with a group of friends at a Japanese restaurant.

His high-dollar steakhouse celebrations are on hold, said the 27-year old from Midlothian.

But a seven-year relationship has taught him not to skimp on the essentials. His wife will get roses silver rings today at work, just in time to display them to co-workers.

“It’s just one of those things,” he said. “It’s simple, but it means a lot.”

There’s even hope for the loveless, who mock the expenses of the day with pleasure. Matchmaking sites like Irving-based True.com are noting steady participation. True.com, which launched five years ago, now has 30 million members.

The free trial period is cheaper than a box of chocolates.