800flowers and their "new" pricing system

[bloomz]

One important detail I missed...Everyone DOES know how to input the orders in the POS.

Well then what is the problem?

Nobody ever has to "sit at the computer" to do decons.

And something being part of any job is not "grunt work".

You do pay these people right? (silly question I know...)

Bottom line is:

Decons are good for the industry - and I just don't get the reluctance of some people to provide them.

I think orders should be weighted to florists that willingly provide them, and it always surprises me how many we get ON the day of major holidays (even VD).

 

[Joe Mioux]

it is 7 pm, i just got back from making some poinsettia deliveries to a few shops and my brain isn't working well.

what is a decon? (insecticide)?

 

[LJVF]

it is 7 pm, i just got back from making some poinsettia deliveries to a few shops and my brain isn't working well.

what is a decon? (insecticide)?

I think he means delivery confirmations...

 

[Joe Mioux]

I think he means delivery confirmations...

insecticide works better when dealing with WS's.

 

[LJVF]

insecticide works better when dealing with WS's.

 

[NavyBrat]

Joe,

I'm stumped. You actually fill orders for $27.00 total? Makes absolutely no "cents" to me! What is your profit on this type of incoming order? Please enlighten me.

 

[Joe Mioux]

Joe,

I'm stumped. You actually fill orders for $27.00 total? Makes absolutely no "cents" to me! What is your profit on this type of incoming order? Please enlighten me.

the price change became $36.99.

I don't like doing WS orders under $30, but will just because I can.

Remember, I look at incoming and outgoing WS orders as a whole. the commissions negate each other.

I know this is a very hard concept for some to follow (not you dianne) but others.

a mixed bouquet of 6 or 7 stems of some flower like daisies, carns, alsto, solidago, etc........... its a piece of cake and still profitable.
break the flowers from the main stem and arrange those instead of the entire spray.

joe

 

[alisonm1215]

I know this is a very hard concept for some to follow (not you dianne) but others.

I think a large shop benefits using a WS. Especially if you can negotiate the fees

a mixed bouquet of 6 or 7 stems of some flower like daisies, carns, alsto, solidago, etc........... its a piece of cake and still profitable.
break the flowers from the main stem and arrange those instead of the entire spray.

How exactly do you break the main stem of a carnation? Just kidding, but I am interested in the height and width of a $36 arrangement. Also, do you ever get complaints about these cost effective bouquets? I know I can come off as flipant, but I am really interested because I have never delivered the smaller 'TF mini flower pot' type of arrangement. I'm curious because with business being a little slow, I wouldn't mind offering a small arrangement; I'm just not sure how my end customers would think of them.

 

[LJVF]

the price change became $36.99.

I don't like doing WS orders under $30, but will just because I can.

Remember, I look at incoming and outgoing WS orders as a whole. the commissions negate each other.

I know this is a very hard concept for some to follow (not you dianne) but others.

a mixed bouquet of 6 or 7 stems of some flower like daisies, carns, alsto, solidago, etc........... its a piece of cake and still profitable.
break the flowers from the main stem and arrange those instead of the entire spray.

joe

I completely agree with this. In fact there are several wire service items that take little to no design labor. Even I can make some of these in seconds. Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can. A good example of this is the FTD Pink Lily Bouquet, it calls for 2-3 stems of stargazers, a touch of filler "dropped" in a clear glass vase. Incoming dollar value is $40 x 73% = $29.20-$1.25 (FTO) =$27.95 (to the florist). 2-3 stems of stargazers with filler cost me $3.00 max, the vase $3.00 max, after throwing in an extra $1 to be safe, we're talking $7.00 max to make this order. Delivery is the tricky part, but for me a lot of these wire orders go to the same vicinity where I have several other orders going anyways, a lot of times the to same exact address, the local hospital is a good example.

Of course every florist has different variables that contribute to a wide variance of COGS. What may be profitable for one florist may not be for another.

 

[CHR]

I just received a bad reputation dot so I want to explain a bit further.

It's a shame someone would give you a red dot for posting your opinion.

the price change became $36.99.

I don't like doing WS orders under $30, but will just because I can.

I may be wrong, but IIRC a $29.95 order is more dollars to a filling florist than a $36.99 one. Don't 'under $30' orders transfer at 100% while above $30's pay full commissions & fees? By my math, $36.99 = $27 to the filling shop.

 

[bloomz]

It's a shame someone would give you a red dot for posting your opinion.

I may be wrong, but IIRC a $29.95 order is more dollars to a filling florist than a $36.99 one. Don't 'under $30' orders transfer at 100% while above $30's pay full commissions & fees? By my math, $36.99 = $27 to the filling shop.

That is a damm shame I agree. we were having a conversation. I hopefully fixed it with a green one.

On the second para - I think that 100% under $30 deal went by the wayside some time back.

Open to correction but I think it was a short lived idea, like many we got during the Soenen era.

 

[lori042499]

I believe TF still give 100% for orders under 25.00, but if they do they are the only ones. Bloomnet gives nothing away without their piece of the pie taken out....

 

[BOSS]

Decons are good for the industry - and I just don't get the reluctance of some people to provide them.

Jon, I concur...however that said, I wonder how likely you and I would be to do them if they were not automated and done without our touching the keyboard?...I'm not sure I'd take the time...

 

[Connie]

Jon, I concur...however that said, I wonder how likely you and I would be to do them if they were not automated and done without our touching the keyboard?...I'm not sure I'd take the time...

As soon as our driver (contract) enters her delivery times into our POS (FAS), a delivery confirmation goes out if we have told the system to send the decon when the order was originally taken into the system. Every person in the shop knows how and takes orders directly into the system. No order pads here any more except for a stash in case the system goes down for some reason. And that has only happened once that I can remember.

We do have one designer who resisted for a while, but she is very proud that she can now take an order just like everyone else. And she's a hunt and pecker too.

Production-wise, it just makes more sense to not have to pay someone to write the order down and then have to type it into the computer. Also, the POS prompts the employee about what information to ask for, so there's no forgetting to get the verification code from the cc, etc.

 

[vghstaffer]

This is the deal.........you don't know how much 1 800 got for the order in the first place. They are robbing you blind people!
I can't tell you how many times when I worked for another florist we sent back 1800 orders (impossible to fill for the price) sure enough they coughed up the extra cash on most, not all.
I believe they had the money to begin with and want to see how much they can get away with.
It is all a scam. You don't need any of these freaks, get off the ride, it is making you sick!

 

[Joe Mioux]

This is the deal.........you don't know how much 1 800 got for the order in the first place. They are robbing you blind people!
I can't tell you how many times when I worked for another florist we sent back 1800 orders (impossible to fill for the price) sure enough they coughed up the extra cash on most, not all.
I believe they had the money to begin with and want to see how much they can get away with.
It is all a scam. You don't need any of these freaks, get off the ride, it is making you sick!

My experience with 800 is up until now, i have always received enough money to fill the order.

My philosophy with 800 orders (since I am NOT a member of 800) is if they send me one of their designs with only a description, I am going to fill it to my value and delivery costs. Also, I won't go out of my way to find the exact container, flower or color. Getting "hand grenade" close to the arrangement has been a successful design strategy.

joe

 

[Dorothy]

That is a damm shame I agree. we were having a conversation. I hopefully fixed it with a green one.

On the second para - I think that 100% under $30 deal went by the wayside some time back.

Open to correction but I think it was a short lived idea, like many we got during the Soenen era.

Thank you lots... I appreciate the reversal.

My experience with 1-800 flowers is that quite often they do cough up the extra $$, so I agree with vghstaffer, you just don't know how much they collected in the first place and you can drive yourself nuts trying to figure it out. I haven't been getting orders from they lately; I think my competition is filling them just to 'try' to stay in business. Same for a couple DOGS that I repeatedly question about pricing.

 

[MANORVILLE]

Since they're signing everyone they possibly can you'll continue to see a drastic reduction in orders. Many shops allegedly are dropping out but scores more are in waiting. Many once preferred shops have been greeted with the rude awakening that they do not honor their word and are taking quite a hit.
For some that found a use for them the days are numbered.

many will hold on until the holidays are over hoping that they will see profit, but that I think is a far fetched dream, and the recipe for failure.

 

[lori042499]

Since they're signing everyone they possibly can you'll continue to see a drastic reduction in orders. Many shops allegedly are dropping out but scores more are in waiting. Many once preferred shops have been greeted with the rude awakening that they do not honor their word and are taking quite a hit.
For some that found a use for them the days are numbered.

many will hold on until the holidays are over hoping that they will see profit, but that I think is a far fetched dream, and the recipe for failure.

Kev, I think you are right here...I am one of those preferred shops..I was getting a huge amount of orders, but as they sign more and more shops I am seeing huge declines in orders...It is now getting to the point where their orders are now a pain to do because one will be for a fall something or other and the next will be an all white something or other...Their orders work well in bulk but not so much in onesies...That's when they really start costing you money...I am teetering on the value of this system now and will probably hang on until jan or feb....smart not too sure...I can be a FOWAC sometimes...I just learned that 2 or the bigger shops in my area have signed on and I am sure 800 will be sending them plenty to hook them into the game and cutting back on mine...Oh well it was good while it lasted..

 

[TOTO]

You NAILED it Kevin!

Since they're signing everyone they possibly can you'll continue to see a drastic reduction in orders. Many shops allegedly are dropping out but scores more are in waiting. Many once preferred shops have been greeted with the rude awakening that they do not honor their word and are taking quite a hit.
For some that found a use for them the days are numbered.

many will hold on until the holidays are over hoping that they will see profit, but that I think is a far fetched dream, and the recipe for failure.

Right ON Kevin!

That's been their GAME PLAN since as far back as I can remember when they used FTDA as their GOPHER.

I used to refer to the STRATEGY as BUCCANEER FOREPLAY!

Send a TARGET SHOP a deluge of orders to get their juices flowing getting them ALL WARM and FUZZY, and during the ROMANTIC INTERLUDE, they then SIGN THE CONTRACT.

Once they SEAL THE DEAL, that shop's incoming order volume DROPS, and they move onto the NEXT WILLING VICTIM.

In fact, they put many shops OUT OF BUSINESS, or ground them to a SUDDEN HALT, when ONE DAY, and for no apparant reason, ALL THEIR INCOMING ORDERS STOPPED! The sad part, was in the fact that, those shops were DEVOTED FILLERS for YEARS. They grew their space, their staff, and their delivery service to support the increased order volume.

In no less than 48 hours, they were forced to DOWNSIZE everything, and for the ones who couldn't, THEY BEE GONE!

I find it a funny PHENOMENON that, so many folks line up at their door as ENABLERS, and despite the fact that, even though they know they're probably gonna get SHAFTED along the way, they DOO IT ANYWAY!

Why would any REAL FLORIST agree to pay increased incoming order redistribution broker fees at variable priced tier levels, to obtain smaller pieces of the pie, when the pie itself, has gotten smaller?

One florist, and in defense of filling the REALLY LOW SRP's being shuttled through a WS wringer, albeit by a OG, stated: "BECAUSE I CAN!"

I think of that as, THE POT OF SOUP philosophy! Put everything into ONE POT, stir it all up, let it simmer, and eat what you got when it's done.

While I have never agreed with that ACCOUNTING PROCEDURE with regard to the HIGHLY DISCOUNTED LOW SRP INCOMING, there are many shops who subscribe to this practice.

In my opinion, and since I MAKE A REALLY GOOD SOUP, it's like pouring water into the pot to EXTEND the quantity, while DILUTING and POLUTING the QUALITY! (of overall profitability) It winds up to be a COST SHIFTING mechanism in which, the PROFITS from your 100% sales, moves over to subsidize the LOSSES incurred from those TOO HIGLY DISCOUNTED OG ORDERS, not to mention the added order acquisition dues and fees.

As to "JUST BECAUSE I CAN", I follow that up with my question of: "WHY WOULD I WANT TO?

Like in, WHY WOULD I WANT TO enable MY COMPETITION to compete with me even more, after I've fulfilled THEIR CUSTOMER's NEEDS with MY QUALITY OF PRODUCT coupled with MY QUALITY OF SERVICE, thus allowing the WS's OG to glean all the KUDOS and ACCOLADES, thus insuring THEIR CUSTOMER'S ALLEGIANCE.

That continues to be a SHORT TERM SOLUTION to perpetuate THE LONGER TERM DISASTER.

I can say this only because, WE BEEN THERE, DID THAT! And didn't MY EGO, back in the day, suggest that, there was NO ORDER WE COULDN'T FILL for the INC DOT.CON, because WE WERE THAT GOOD!

Suffice it to say that, once I finally put their POT OF SOUP into my spreadsheet, I got over my PROBLEM and TOOK THE OATH!
lol