For those of you that say just Quit the WS. Or Every time they 800 or FTD screw up it will turn the tide. I say to you. You will not live long enough to see it change the situation in this industry.
We the independant florist can not compete without some sort of brand and brand reconginition. And larger shops need some sort of wire out capablities vs calling out orders. Ace Hardware and True Value Hardware are independant stores that came together under a name and created a brand so that they could compete with the national hardware chains and Home Depot/Lowes.
Quitting wire services will not solve one darn thing if anything it may only hasten our demise. I will admit that I use many of their images in my advertising and certainly on my web site. Yes I have shot some of my own pics on the web site. But I do not even begin to have enough pictures and the quality at times is iffy, and customers often want that item delivered half way across the country oh but we do not have a shop there!!!.
I have been frustrated with my own web site recently and I am looking to up grade it in doing so I have looked at many of the sites of memebers of this board as well as other florist who are not members of this board and my conclusion is we as florist do not stack up well to the web sites offered by 800 flowers and proflowers etc. ( I am being kind with that statement)
We are not going to win this war working by ourselves and certainly we will not win this war by continueing to think if we just quit the whole thing will go away.
Hey Steve,
So much for my temporary hibernation !
The change that none of us will live to see is already upon us Steve, though it is in it's infancy, and every time the big footprints screw up, a percentage, however minute, reverts back to the real B&M flower shops.
I say with complete confidence and certainty that we are living proof.
A day no longer passes that at least one dissatisfied WS customer chooses us. On a good day there may be three, five or more !
When we work up the numbers, our business has grown in part due to their screw-ups, and our commitment to the satisfaction of the consumer, on both ends.
Our associations with some WS are based on their global marketing ability, which in turn is supposed to generate orders for florist " partners ".
Well that just isn't working all that well these days is it ?
What is working is a reverse strategy which is simple by any standard and I have spoken on this many, many times.
Use their market saturation techniques to convert the customer to a real shop, that is a florist. They're giving us all the tools we need and all we have to do is utilize them.
It's no secret that they're fazing us out and will continue,, which will cause many shops to fall, and many to resort to OG status, but they do not monopolize the industry unless we all let them.
They are in fact walking a very fine line and contrary to your revelation about quitting the WS, I, in my humble " opinion " feel that some WS should be fed to the wolves.
Why should Mom and Pop shops continue to support and enable the corporate giants to partially finance their endeavors to exterminate them ?
It makes absolutely no sense. Throw the money in the garbage makes more sense to me.
We are not big senders, so do not have the financial interests of many in that sense. We are in fact penalized for not being big senders. I guess that would be considered fair !
No sir it is not, for us or for many other Mom and Pop shops that are trying to make a living. We cannot materialize things in accordance with the discriminatory wishes and guidelines of the WS, and the bottom line, among other things is just that, discrimination.
*******Sorry Mary Doe, the shop 5 towns over has a tremendous sending base so we're obligated to give them far more orders each month. Boost your sending and we'll get you more orders, and while you're at it buy some more stuff and we'll really send you more ! OK Mr WS, you're my friend, I'll trust you.......................all the way to losing the business !***********
We live in a competitive business climate and maybe the ease of deception to make a buck appeals to the masses, or maybe it's just accepted because so few have the stones to stand up and be heard.
WS are geared to themselves and to the big senders, that's it.
The smaller shops just foot the bills, living on the dream day to day.
Maybe it's easy for some to believe that the WS can provide financial relief by kissing their arses, but what this really accomplishes is essentially cutting the throats of the smaller shops, and that's where the real facts are.
As far as competing with the mega footprints and internationally recognized brands the answer is simple ! Join together, produce a clearly distinguishable real florist brand, and show them how powerful several thousand or more pioneers of this industry can be.
If everyone contacts 25 or 50 florists can you imagine how fast an effort to take back a portion of this industry could occur ?
If 100 FC members made a little time and really pushed the issue I will bet that membership here would double within 30 days.
If another 100 did it,,,,,,,etc etc etc.
Then and only then would the numbers reflect the potential to launch an offensive against every entity that is destroying B&M shops.
Yes I am nuts !
" Can't " is not in my vocabulary. It can be done, but everyone has to live the dream, not waste time talking about it year after year.
And........the same dedicated individuals can't carry the ball for the masses without help, dedication and cooperation.
Wire out capabilities are an issue that can be overcome, and if a committed joint venture was launched based about several thousand initial members,
could wind up being much more cost effective and beneficial to all size shops.
Photos
Create a database of our own product, collectively, for all to draw upon, that will benefit all !!!!!!!!!! Some may have time to submit 5 photos, some may submit 50, but everyone would be contributing to the future.
Websites
I agree !
Though I have seen a gozillion sites, we are lacking when it comes to the big players. Consumers seem to gravitate to such sites thinking that they will get a better deal as there are" zillions of pretty choices "
Looked at a site today that gave me many ideas regarding our new shop site.
A site like it could be a composite template for a global site linking real florists together, with their own unified footprint and protected branding thus clearly separating us all from the rest.
How much would it really cost several thousand members of a protected group ?
I envision " The Alternative to Frozen and Dead Flowers, Order Skimming, Phoney Florists and Deception ", "the future of the professional florist industry, designed, controlled, owned and operated by 100% Real Florists,
committed to consumer awareness and customer satisfaction".
Ambitious......absolutely, Possible........absolutely !
Quitting Wire Services
Some can.......some can't, some will............some won't !
Calling up and quitting is not the answer that is needed.
A highly publicized mass exodus is the way it would have to be done.
Press, Media, Local, City, State and Federal Government all made aware and publicized to the hilt,,,, and watch how fast things change.
Take the plight of real florists to every possible audience and let the truth be told. You'll see change in this lifetime Steve !
Flowers32 made a good points based upon his experiences over a 65 year history. His shop has struggled long and hard to create a consumer environment based on superior quality, customer service and dealing direct.
He, like the rest of us has developed a system that works for him and WS may not be a viable or necessary option for him.
Probably should have stayed hibernated but,................aw heck,...............................I couldn't resist some venting today.
ManorMan
"The spirit of 12Bucks lives on":beer
