Christmas in July... No, Really!

[OB1]

What the heck???
Today, I recieved 2 emails from wholesalers asking for my Christmas pre order for cut greens and flowering plants.
After all the discussion about how the industry has changed, it seems that some companies still don't understand the new reality of the retail florist business.
I find this tremendously frustrating.
Here we are, still using the model from the 70's even though it's almost half a century later.
And we retailers are dealing with the changing demographics, trying our best to react to the day to day realities of the new retail world, and yet our suppliers are still clinging to the outdated methods of our parents.
I'm certainly not about to commit to an order for product that may or may not still be in vogue in 6 months time. I'll take my chances with the "last minute ordering" of 1 or 2 months out.
And the beauty of it is, if I can't get what I hoped for, I've got the creative ability to use what is available to turn it into something that my clients will still love.
That, in a nutshell, is what it has become, ( in my opinion) to be successful as a retail florist in todays environment.
JP

 

[concord]

the other issue for me in ordering so far ahead from my suppliers is that very often the price comes DOWN as it gets closer so what's the incentive for me to order early? Just so I can pay more? I don't think so.

 

[lil_goldie]

We can generally predict our sales volume based on previous years so I have no problem ordering this early.
We're pre-ordering our poinsettias this week as well as our christmas greens.

Helen, I find the opposite. The prices do tend to go down closer to the date, but that is because the quality is terrible at that point. I'd rather pre-book and get the good stuff!

We've also ordered our containers for the most part. We'll pick up some things last minute at the floral circle during the CGTA show weekend and then order some things as we get closer.

We're a pretty conservative farming community so you can bank on a few things around here: poinsettias, centerpieces, etc. Not too much variation from year to year.
We get a small selection of trendy stuff, but I can tell you from when I sold furniture in our town that my most requested item was a navy blue overstuffed recliner.....yup. We're real trendy here in Chatham-Kent.

 

[concord]

Chantelle, That's how it used to be here, too, order early for the best quality. Unfortunately, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to get good quality no matter where I buy. I send more back than I keep most days and I'm not willing to pre-book just to get crap. It's frustrating because you can't count on anything. I do order hard goods early and some plants.

 

[anytimeflowers]

I order early. But more important, I take the product early. I have found that once the product comes in, that's what they are going to have, no matter when you take it. But.....my wholesalers store it outside in pods. Great if temps are freezing, not so good if we have the weird Decembers where it gets into the 50's -70's. (Yes, one year we used our deck for guests, it was 72 degrees here in Minnesota!) I'd rather put the greens in my extra walk-in than take product that is turning yellow and losing needles from being too warm.

I think the biggest thing is that, BECAUSE OF THE RECESSION, growers want pre-books from the wholesalers to know how much product to grow. The product just may not be available when you are ready to order.

jmo

 

[concord]

I've lost all faith in my suppliers to provide fresh product regardless of how early I place my order.

 

[Johan]

Harrods in London has a whole Christmas department from the beginning of July. One of my sundries wholesales has there christmas stock out and I found myself picking up christmas giftware but decides I would wait until the end of August before I start the christmas shopping 'prehaps !'.

 

[Sarah Jane]

I can't even begin to think about Christmas right now. I'm too busy thinking about homecoming....

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

if Christmas AND beer, went hand in hand, I'd be thinking about it at this moment.....it has been such a terrific summer, lottsa friends, lottsa activities,lottsa concerts and shows, lottsa reasons to enjoy ALL of the warm/hot weather while it's here!!.....To be honest, we've ordered most of our holiday containers, and greens, and NONE of our flowers/plants.......
The "model" that has been mentioned has been replaced with "just in time", and the suppliers must get used to it....you're gonna PAY MORE, but, THEY don't get the luxury of "locking you" into product supply anymore...plain & simple!
By the way, we are currently in Calgary, and day before yesterday, we had a very wicked cold front storm, that brought larger than golf ball size hail, that did substantial damages to anything in it's path, and MOST car lots, especially on the N.E.side are reporting 100% damages to EVERY VEHICLE on their lots, and we checked, and sure enough, the damage is substantial.
Jeez, I "wonder" if the car manufacturers are gonna give them refunds or credits on those smashed up cars & trucks??
What does this have to do with ordering "christmas product"??.....until you "know", it's cheaper NOT to have the product, until you understand what the consumer is looking for!!

 

[OB1]

Like most here, I have ordered all my hard goods. We are HUGE with ornaments at Christmas, so the plan for all the giftware, porch decor, containers, and ornaments was figured out and ordered in January.
But last year was the first year that I pre-ordered much less, and pretty much ordered as I needed. (and I was still left with a case of blueberry juniper, which has never happened before) I'm lucky to have developed relationships with enough fresh suppliers that I can recieve cut product 5 days a week, but I have to order 3 days out. It worked great!
I watched when the grocery store got their fresh plants, and knew to have mine come a few days later, once theirs looked like crap. I watched when my competition got their stuff in, so that mine could be fresher and nicer.
In the end, we sold about the same amount of product, but our COG was down by 3 %. I don't care if you sell a thousand or a million dollars, it's all about the COG and COL. Last year proved to me that money can be made in lots of different ways. It's not only about selling, it's about selling the right stuff at the right price at the right time, by the right people.In my opinion, the days of making a recipe design 6 months in advance are long gone.
JP

 

[FlowersForKids]

All of you have very good points about waiting until the last moment to buy.
From a grower perspective: You won't be pleased if we don't have enough red roses for Valentines: or worse, if the mass marketers prebook all the stems from Bogota to Quito! Growers prefer to lock in a lower but assured price.
We do realize that producers have to try to predict future demand, but many of us would rather err on the conservative side. We have to order our plants about a year before a holiday.
In the case of gyp, many retail florists buy very little during the year (for very good reasons) but need the product on Valentines. The Europeans, Russians, supermarkets, and bouquet makers are consistent buyers. On top of their standing orders they want their peaks.
In the meantime, what do you suggest we growers do to help you?

 

[emilymoonflower]

A good place to start would be to formulate a list of "premium" flowers that the majority of florists do not use on a daily basis, but require for weddings and events, i.e. callas, scabious, lilacs, paeony, nerine lilies, premium orchids, etc.As a grower, you are aware of the supply chain and can anticipate when certain flowers will be scarce and sell at a premium. If florists had a window to work with , complete with price estimates for regular versus premium purchase periods, it would greatly benefit both florist and supplier.
As a Canadian I am not privy to the purchase habits of Russian and European florists, but if you tell me that gyp will be available for Valentine's day at X price and it needs to be pre-ordered by X date, that is something that I can work with.
There has been much discussion on this board regarding suppliers dropping the ball on pre-ordered stock, particularly for wedding work. Because we do not deal with the growers directly we are at the mercy of whatever info the wholesalers provide
to us. Customers (brides in particular) don't give a rat's butt about supply and demand. When we promise a particular flower we have to deliver - any information that helps us to achieve our goals just makes our jobs easier.
I realize that growers have their headaches as well and I sympathize. Having said that, if you experience a cold snap for example and it wipes out your red rose crop, find a way to let the florists know before they plan their Valentine's order.
When my supplier (and this happened to me last year) delivers my small head 60 cm roses and tries to charge me a premium last-minute because ""the crop was bad"" I don't have any recourse but to either suck it up or reject the order.
(I did fire that particular supplier, but I was left in quite a bind!)
You have a voice on this forum, please use it to keep us informed on market conditions, scarcity of product, or any similar information that will help us in the buying process.
Emily

 

[anytimeflowers]

A good place to start would be to formulate a list of "premium" flowers that the majority of florists do not use on a daily basis, but require for weddings and events, i.e. callas, scabious, lilacs, paeony, nerine lilies, premium orchids, etc.As a grower, you are aware of the supply chain and can anticipate when certain flowers will be scarce and sell at a premium. If florists had a window to work with , complete with price estimates for regular versus premium purchase periods, it would greatly benefit both florist and supplier.
As a Canadian I am not privy to the purchase habits of Russian and European florists, but if you tell me that gyp will be available for Valentine's day at X price and it needs to be pre-ordered by X date, that is something that I can work with.
There has been much discussion on this board regarding suppliers dropping the ball on pre-ordered stock, particularly for wedding work. Because we do not deal with the growers directly we are at the mercy of whatever info the wholesalers provide
to us. Customers (brides in particular) don't give a rat's butt about supply and demand. When we promise a particular flower we have to deliver - any information that helps us to achieve our goals just makes our jobs easier.
I realize that growers have their headaches as well and I sympathize. Having said that, if you experience a cold snap for example and it wipes out your red rose crop, find a way to let the florists know before they plan their Valentine's order.
When my supplier (and this happened to me last year) delivers my small head 60 cm roses and tries to charge me a premium last-minute because ""the crop was bad"" I don't have any recourse but to either suck it up or reject the order.
(I did fire that particular supplier, but I was left in quite a bind!)
You have a voice on this forum, please use it to keep us informed on market conditions, scarcity of product, or any similar information that will help us in the buying process.
Emily

I also see where an over-abundance of product has undermined the entire "florist" industry. Florist defined by a retailer of flowers who gives custom design and event service to the consumer, above just selling flowers.

I hesitate to say this, but it would be greatly helpful if growers would consider limiting their crops to mitigate the over-production of product. This would also help in quality because of over-use of land that does not have the opportunity to replenish itself. This is the classic supply and demand which drives price.

Chain of cold is another issue that needs to be pushed through all growers. California is completely on board with this idea, and as a result, command much higher prices for the same product as South America.

We have not embraced the verification of growers. As an industry, we have not marketed to the consumer on using products that are grown by verified growers. I don't know how many florists are even aware of the verification of growers. This may be an area where more saturation should be used and targeted to both the consumer AND the florist.

Those are just some thoughts.

 

[OB1]

I am always looking for ways to differentiate my shop from my competitors, and one of the best ways I can do this is by educating my customers about where my flowers come from, who grows them, and how they end up in a small city in Canada.
Any information you can provide regarding the grower, the method of production, the benifits offered to the staff, etc., makes the final product more saleable for me.
I agree that having some of the stress about availability removed by ordering early would be helpful, however, if both my clients and I knew more about the quality of the product, I may be more willing to place a preorder, based on my knowledge about the product, the farm and their growers, and workers.
Case in point...there is a farm that I have been buying cluster roses from, right here in Ontario. I know the way they operate, based on federal and provincial regulations. I know the quality of the product, and I am comfortable with the way the staff must be treated. In this case, I am happy to place a pre-order.
And, just in case you are ordering...they are not the cheapest, just the best.
At least I have my cluster roses booked for Christmas.
I only wish I knew as much about other farms from other countries that I buy product from. If I did, I might just be the first in line to pre order my product them too.
JP
JP