Boycot!

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rswaneck77

rswaneck77

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Sep 8, 2008
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Columbus
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OH
I think next year if we want the wire services to take us seriously we should fight fire with fire. They are over charging us with fees and penalties and internet charges and hidden costs to the point of breaking us. Well, I say turn your machines off for one big holiday like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day next year! Of course it won't work unless we get everyone to do it but I think it would be terribly funny if it did. Turn them off and see how quickly they scramble when they can't get anyone to fill their orders. Let them see who really has the power in this business. They need to stop leaching off of us for a change!
 
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Even if not everyone in a city did it and just a few...it may just send enough crap to the others that they in turn shut down not being prepared for the onslaught...it definately wouldn work if only 100 flower shops out of 9000 do it...
 
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Boss, you really are a man after my own heart! lol See, I knew I wsn't alone! There are people out there just as mad and fed up as we are! I say we do it! I say we send a message to these companies they will never forget!
 
rswaneck77 said:
I think next year if we want the wire services to take us seriously we should fight fire with fire. They are over charging us with fees and penalties and internet charges and hidden costs to the point of breaking us. Well, I say turn your machines off for one big holiday like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day next year! Of course it won't work unless we get everyone to do it but I think it would be terribly funny if it did. Turn them off and see how quickly they scramble when they can't get anyone to fill their orders. Let them see who really has the power in this business. They need to stop leaching off of us for a change!
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If you're going to do that, then you need to block numbers on your phone - it'll be ringing off the hook (from TF and 800-flowers anyway)! Good Luck!! I like the idea, just don't know how realistic is to do.
 
I have already started the boycott raused my miniun WR from FTD.com to $99.00. That should stop the small orders also raised my minium to 45.00
 
rswaneck77 said:
I think next year if we want the wire services to take us seriously we should fight fire with fire. They are over charging us with fees and penalties and internet charges and hidden costs to the point of breaking us. Well, I say turn your machines off for one big holiday like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day next year! Of course it won't work unless we get everyone to do it but I think it would be terribly funny if it did. Turn them off and see how quickly they scramble when they can't get anyone to fill their orders. Let them see who really has the power in this business. They need to stop leaching off of us for a change!
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Sorry to dampen such energy--but save your breath. What you say is true, and that one single act would restore order to the florist universe--unfortunately you won't get 10 florists that really do it--especially in a year when bunches of them are dying for any order they can get.
 
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rswaneck77 said:
I think next year if we want the wire services to take us seriously we should fight fire with fire. They are over charging us with fees and penalties and internet charges and hidden costs to the point of breaking us. Well, I say turn your machines off for one big holiday like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day next year! Of course it won't work unless we get everyone to do it but I think it would be terribly funny if it did. Turn them off and see how quickly they scramble when they can't get anyone to fill their orders. Let them see who really has the power in this business. They need to stop leaching off of us for a change!
Click to expand...

That would hurt flower consumers who placed the orders. If you have issues with WS companies, IMO the least responsible thing to do is to involve flower consumers in our "war" and blame your enemies for the carnage. A bit like Israel-Hamas kind of thing. No good.
 
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Big Spaldings comes to mind here folks.
VDay is a Saturday in a screwed up economy. Wholesale prices are not in line with reality.
Consumers that are spending have become more frugal shoppers.

Does anyone really have high expectations for a monumental VDay ?

We've decided to make radical changes across the board and may just shut the WS down again through the VDay holiday. Did it for Christmas and never looked back.

Goldie I have to disagree with what you said about hurting the consumer if a boycott could materialize.
In the end it would show the consumer who truly has the consumer best interest at heart and how the WS manipulates the entire equation for their own personal gain.
Heck, if the WS can't get their order out maybe they'll pick up the phone and call a Real Florist !

Just some quick thoughts.
 
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RC in Dayton and Cincinnati said:
A question for rswaneck77 and others.

If you are not happy with your relationship with the wire services, why do you continue with your memberships?


RC
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A great question.

And I agree with Goldie to some extent, this kind of initiative would only be deflected onto the florists, and the WS would not even know the difference in their sales. And you would further drive the wedge between you and the WS enabling them to promote their drop ship business even more, or perhaps seek exclusive agreements in large territories, which would be saved for their best buddies in those areas. (The ones who didn't join and had a record holiday) Then the WS will dump you, ending the battle.

From another view, you are business partners with the WS, and have an obligation to them, and they to you. As much as I personally don't like their business, this kind of initiative is very bad business. Be in, or be out.
 
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Chezbloom said:
If every florist quit all WS tomorrow, we'd win in a heartbeat.
But WTFDIK? Skrew a one day boycott, wipe'em out for good.

:fdevil:
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My sentiments exactly...do you really think a day will hurt all that bad? Put your money where your mouth is and drop them everyday, not just the one day that you're guaranteed to be busy anyway. If every florist quit all WS, only then would we stand a fighting chance at winning. Of course, they would only perfect the drop-ship floral and gift industry, but at least we could have 100% of every florist-designed gift delivered--it would define our role better: florist=fresh floral designs, FTD & the like=perishable items shipped in a box. Period.

I know how to send an order without a wire service, do you? I know, for you busy shops, it would be hard to personally call out every order, but do you think for those busy times, you would spend as much to hire another person whose only job is to call out orders as you spend for your whole year's worth of wire service fees, co-op advertising, junk containers, directory fees, the list goes on....
 
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I think a great way to bring balance with the WS orders is to raise the minimums.

This forces the wire service to keep their arrangement prices inline with what we expect from our customers.

Our minimums have been at $50 plus a $8.99 delivery fee. But if your going to do this then you also need to respect those prices when your sending. Its funny because we did this back in 2005 and incomings have continued to drop until 2008. We saw our first increase in incoming orders and those orders where very much inline with our shop averages.

Its too late for Vday but why not change those prices so that they are inline with what you want for mothers day.
 
Please, boys and girls...IF you feel that wire services are holding you "hostage" QUIT!!
IF you think shutting down your technology, is the answer, you are dead wrong!!
I think all the wire services "allow" you to dump your TFDT800 "boxes" and go with phone in.....do THAT instead.
All you are doing is "penalizing the sending public, and other florists that EXPECT, that when an order goes online, it'll get to a shop that'll fill!!
The wire services are pretty clear (as mud)......send AND recieve, SEND ONLY, or git out!!
 
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yawn....

do a search for "boycott" and see how many times this has been proposed.

Then think back to the precursor florist boards when it was beat to death over and over and over and over. I'm talking 15 years ago.


and PS Mikey and RC are spot on. Don't let the door hit you.


Ps - realize it and like it or not, this kind of civil disobedience "behavior" leads them further into drop ship cuz they don't have fulfillment problems with flowers in a box.
 
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Before you decide to Boycott...or shut your machines off......think about it a little bit.

You got into the flower business to PROVIDE A SERVICE.
If your retail flower business no longer wants to provide the SERVICE of sending flowers for your customer to another city for them, then don't.
Get out of the wire services, and concentrate on handling your local customers only.

Or call out your order with YOUR OWN CC (NOT your customers, because that is illegal!), and collect your fee for your SERVICE, and we will fill your 100% order.

Stop beating your gums...take the blinders off your eyes and wake up and look around.

TODAY, IN THE REAL WORLD, if you cannot or do not provide a service to your customer, your customer will shop elsewhere. Once they go, they will not come back.

Customers LIKE ease and convenience. that's why they like shopping 24/7 on the web....the web is always open....are you? Or, do you ask your customer to call back, when it's convenient for you to take the call?

Customers like that you will "fix" the problem.....with their flower order.....and if you do not, then someone else, with greater customer service perceptions, will fix it & you will have lost a customer.

Please, Civil Disobedience (ie - a boycott) is not the answer.
If you cannot take the wire services, and do not like what they pay you for orders, then quit....plain & simple.

Their house...their rules. Your house....your rules.

Just my 2 cents.....

Cheryl
 
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Just cut ties...

I did this cut off years ago with TF. If you want to do this, Cancel, get off the board, call in your orders direct. Turning off your machine (that they own) is not going to hurt them. Cut them off entirely if you dont want to do business with them.

OK. if you were dissatisfied with a certain retail store, you would stop shopping there. If you were unhappy with a product...you would omit them from your shopping list,
Do it. Stand up. don't put up. don't shut up.

Eat the big fat gray stanky crude unethical blatant hungry vile grumpy cold Elephant called Wire "service"{ one bite at a time.

I love this industry too much to let "suits" take it to the corporate level.
Remember when Omaha steaks took gourmet by storm? That steak still needed to be cooked properly.....Enter Florist....
 
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bloomz said:
they don't have fulfillment problems with flowers in a box.
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LOL... MINUS 12 degree's here this morning.... I wonder if those UPS trucks are heated yet?

Best move is to stop accepting "company orders" unless of course you want to continue to enable them.

Florist to florist orders are not the real issue.
 
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