PIONEER PRESS -- Feb 14 -- A survey by the National Retail Federation found that consumers planned to spend ~$20 less on gifts and merchandise this Valentine's Day. An estimated drop in total spending of $2 billion. Use of online dating sites continues to climb amid the recession, according to Mark Brooks, a consultant to the Internet dating industry. "Any time times are tough, you get a massive influx to dating sites," said Markus Frind, CEO/founder of PlentyofFish. Also, compared with last year, online daters are more likely to use "job" in their profiles. "'I have a job' tends to come up frequently." FULL ARTICLE @ TWINCITIES.COM