Valentine's Day has come and gone, which means we now have data to uncover what people were buying during the season of love.
We track Walmart.com ($WMT) sales rank and discount data on a daily basis, which not only tells us what people were ordering for their lovers (or for themselves - no judgment), but also the prices for what they were ordering.
And it turns out that the urban legend of "National Cheap Chocolate Day" is true; the average percentage discount for food items was slightly higher right before and after Valentine's Day compared to the start of the new year.
So yes, if you didn't have enough chocolate during Valentine's Day, head out to the stores and cash that paycheck on some sweet discounted treats like chocolate.
Chocolate? Did you say... Chocolate?
Yes, chocolate.
Walmart.com had dozens of chocolate products — both holiday themed and not — featured as best-sellers during the month of February. And, not surprisingly, the top-three most popular food items sold on Walmart.com since the start of February were all chocolate.
When looking at the best-selling category rank of all food items from February 1 to February 14, two Mars Inc. ($PRIVATE:MARS) candies — M&M's and 3 Musketeers — were the top-two best-sellers. However, neither of these candies were Valentine's Day-themed, meaning that even during the holiday, people still needed a fix of their favorite chocolates.
The third best-selling food item pre-Valentine's Day is the Elmer ($PRIVATE:ELMERCANDYCORPORATION) Chocolate Rose Heart Box. Founded in 1855 in Louisiana, the Elmer Candy Corporation is the second-largest manufacturer of Valentine's Day heart-shaped candy boxes,
Other Valentine's Day candies that made the top-20 cut were holiday M&M's, Hershey ($HSY) Kisses, and two different kind of Reese's.
| Name | Category Rank (Average) |
Category Rank (Count)
|
|---|---|---|
| M&M'S Peanut Chocolate Candy, 1.74 oz | 1.00 | 8 |
| 3 Musketeers, Full Size Chocolate Candy Bar, 1.92 Oz | 1.73 | 11 |
| Elmer Chocolate Rose Heart Box, 2 oz, 1 ct (Design will vary) | 2.73 | 11 |
| Great Value Pure Cane Sugar, 4 lbs | 4.00 | 6 |
| Sam's Choice Purified Water, 10 Fl Oz, 12 Count | 4.40 | 10 |
| M&M's, Valenetine's Day Heart Milk Chocolate Candy Cane, 3 Oz | 5.18 | 11 |
| Gatorade Wide Mouth, Fruit Punch, 20 Fl Oz | 5.71 | 7 |
| Gatorade Thirst Quencher Fruit Punch Sport Drink, 20 Fl. Oz. | 7.00 | 4 |
| Kisses, Valentine's Giant Milk Chocolate Candy, 7 Oz | 7.75 | 8 |
| Great Value Coffee Creamer, Original, 35.3 fl oz | 7.91 | 11 |
| Augason Farms Buttermilk Pancake Mix 3 lbs 4 oz No. 10 Can | 8.91 | 11 |
| Augason Farms Morning Moo's Low Fat Milk Alternative 3 lbs 8 oz No. 10 Can | 9.91 | 11 |
| Cella's Holiday Milk Chocolate Covered Cherries, 6 oz | 10.91 | 11 |
| Claxton Holiday Fruit Cake, 12 oz | 12.56 | 9 |
| Starbucks® Marshmallow Hot Cocoa 7 oz. Tin | 13.00 | 6 |
| Reese's, Valentine's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Heart, 5 Oz | 13.27 | 11 |
| Cheerios Gluten Free Breakfast Cereal, 21 oz, Family Size Cereal Box | 14.82 | 11 |
| Reese's, Valentine's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts, 10 Oz | 15.82 | 11 |
| Honey Nut Cheerios Gluten Free 26.6 oz Giant Size Cereal | 16.00 | 6 |
| Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera Juice, Original, 128 Fl Oz, 1 Count | 17.36 | 11 |
Although chocolate candies were seen throughout the best-selling food items at Walmart.com, it didn't dominate the list. People still need essentials such as water, sugar, cereal, milk, and pancake mix, so as the data tells us, the nation didn't just stop eating normal food and scarfed down chocolate for the past two weeks.
The post-Valentine's Day look at Walmart.com's best-sellers is about the same as pre-Valentine's Day, although the rankings appear more normalized and some chocolates have higher average rankings.
| Name | Category Rank (Average) |
Category Rank (Count)
|
|---|---|---|
| M&M'S Peanut Chocolate Candy, 1.74 oz | 1 | 5 |
| 3 Musketeers, Full Size Chocolate Candy Bar, 1.92 Oz | 2 | 5 |
| Elmer Chocolate Rose Heart Box, 2 oz, 1 ct (Design will vary) | 3 | 5 |
| Great Value Pure Granulated Sugar, 4 lb | 4 | 5 |
| Sam's Choice Mini Purified Drinking Water 10 Fl. Oz., 12 Count | 5 | 5 |
| M&M's, Valenetine's Day Heart Milk Chocolate Candy Cane, 3 Oz | 6 | 5 |
| Gatorade Thirst Quencher Fruit Punch Sport Drink, 20 Fl. Oz. | 7 | 5 |
| Kisses, Valentine's Giant Milk Chocolate Candy, 7 Oz | 8 | 5 |
| Great Value Coffee Creamer, Original, 35.3 fl oz | 9 | 5 |
| Augason Farms Buttermilk Pancake Mix 3 lbs 4 oz No. 10 Can | 10 | 5 |
| Augason Farms Morning Moo's Low Fat Milk Alternative 3 lbs 8 oz No. 10 Can | 11 | 5 |
| Cella's Holiday Milk Chocolate Covered Cherries, 6 oz | 12 | 5 |
| Starbucks® Marshmallow Hot Cocoa 7 oz. Tin | 13 | 5 |
| Claxton Holiday Fruit Cake, 12 oz | 14 | 5 |
| Reese's, Valentine's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Heart, 5 Oz | 15 | 5 |
| Honey Nut Cheerios Gluten Free 26.6 oz Giant Size Cereal | 16 | 5 |
| Cheerios Gluten Free Breakfast Cereal, 21 oz, Family Size Cereal Box | 17 | 5 |
| Reese's, Valentine's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts, 10 Oz | 18 | 5 |
| Frito-Lay Party Mix Variety Pack, 0.75 Oz - 1 Oz, 32 Ct | 19 | 5 |
| Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera Juice, Original, 128 Fl Oz, 1 Count | 20 | 5 |