Dealing with a Cult

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All Those in Favor

All those in favor of WS seem to overlook one important detail. It's one thing if a WS finds a customer to market to in your area. It's another thing when you GIVE them the information. When you send, they receive. AND YOU PAY THEM. But the money, it's just too good. Well, good for now at least. Who here thinks the rebates will stay as they are? We have all seen the stock lately. Something has to give. Maybe THAT will be the final straw.

Philly, think of the time spent resolving WS issues on a day to day basis...also resolving the statements each month. I bet you could find the time to "call" out orders. Maybe a little extra. Ask a Wire free florist if their time is compromised.

Bloomz.....it's always fun to hear an old guy try the insult game. It's really the only reason I like to call you an odor gatherer. oops....order lol

Flower Power
 
Dazeal said:
I want to take this moment and say, Thank YOU, for drop kicking me Jesus, through the goal posts of life!
lol
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Daz...that's your very best yet!!:headbang:
 
PhillyPhlorist said:
Here we go again...

Quoting Tom "No one can refute the fact that IF THE CONSUMER DOES NOT NEED THE WIRE SERVICE ANYMORE, THEN THE FLORIST DOESN'T EITHER!!. "

Not correct. OK - said before, and I will say again (thinking that it MAY actually sink in) is that there is STILL a market for florists to send orders via the wires. Customers still desire this service. In some markets, AT THE CURRENT MOMENT, the only economical way to send orders out of town is via an electronic w/s. Let's see...this week we have sent nearly 100 orders out of town. 30+ a day.
Um, Tom, if you want me to drop FTD, then can you come over and call each and every one of these orders out for me? I'll pay you what it is costing me to do this - about $1.50 an hour?

- H.
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I SEND ALL MY ORDERS OUT ELECTRONICALLY AND I DON'T BELONG TO A WIRE SERVICE. Do you think I sit at the phone and send out orders? HEAVEN FORBID.

Sure customers want this service, and I am glad they do. BUT THE SERVICE IS BEING RAPED BY THE WIRE SERVICES, OGs, AND .COMs. When consumers get ripped off, they make changes. Once a consumer is DOWN ON SENDING FLOWERS OUT OF TOWN, how ever they do it, IT IS GOING TO BE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO GET THEM BACK TO MY STORE.

Excuse me, can't florists see the BIG PICTURE? Belonging to a WS is making a contribution to the demise of retail floristry as it was once known.

Griff said it more graciously than I can right now because I too much into the cause. Go back and read his post.

A florist called me today about a $100 order we sent to his shop and I asked him "how is it going, are you a member of a WS?" And he started to swear.

I asked him if he monitors the florist message boards and he doesn't. I gave him a couple of address but had to forewarn him that on occasion it might get a little bit testy, but be patient, some great stuff will come along that might help you to not have to swear anymore.
 
12BucksFor2Dozon said:
Well. Mark, who *do* you expect to complain? Those still profitably using the wires at the expense of the entire mom n pop industry? Why would the OGs and heavy senders complain, when such easy money is to be made on the backs of the ignorant filling florists who are too old-fashioned to realize they are being sucked dry by the corporate snakes?

There is only ONE viable alternative, and that is a super-low cost, open, fair and equitable order transfer system that leverages the net as an almost free transmission medium, with minimal centralized control. Greed kills.
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I think I've found such a thing in IFA (Independent Florist Association). The cost is $20.00 per month when you use them and you can either go on the 20-80 program or 0-100 program. The receiving florist gets 80% or 100% of the order and gets paid right away because you use a credit card but it is web based so you don't get a busy phone during hectic holiday times when you send an order.
 
Griff said:
Many florists are placing their short term needs <making dollars today> in front of their long term needs which is preservation of their business. As the big 3 continue to run the local florist out of business, they still continue to collect more money from the ones that are left and tell them they are here only to help them. This is a fairy tale with a very bad ending.

Many of us understand ALL of this and we know why individuals take the positions that you do, but Tom and myself and others here would also like everyone to understand that even if we are no longer part of the WS problem, the ones that remain, for whatever reason, continue to financially support the ones that want to eliminate the vast majority of the local florist population. Forget about the passion. It is all our livelihoods at stake and this is not about just OG's and .coms. It is about NOT becoming extinct!!
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You one silly Boy Griff - we should stop making dollars today - to try to put the wire services out of business? Right.

Making dollars today isn't planning for my future? Since freaking when?

I'd like it just fine if all the other florists in my town went extinct - cuz I know there's always gonna be a need for a florist, a real florist - and I don't mind a bit if I'm that last man standing, and when the rest have gone extinct (which has started already, and I'm glad). Guess who'll be in control then?

You know, half the florists in the country could go out of business, and it would make for a stronger industry in many ways...

I call making money today to market my azz off and helping in their extinction "planning for the future". I take that wire service money I am making, and use it and them like a woman of the night - to meet my needs and tomorrows plans.

Making money today is working for my long term needs - the preservation of my business, and helping the rest become extinct is just fine with me.

Every town my size could get by just fine with just one florist.

ahh, what a cold heartless bastard, huh?

and Ten, calling me an order gatherer I take to mean, IMHO, a smart florist, so thank you. No insult whatever darlin'. :kuddle: I just wish I could figure out a way to do a better job at it. I believe in fighting them demon wire services for orders, and that's who the fight is against.

and PS - IMHO IFA is not a viable option today, not for me anyway. Especially until they at least get a decent selection guide and images florists can use on websites. The images they show available on their site is horrendous, dated 70's looking stuff with dreary backgrounds. They just don't seem progressive enough, trying to preserve a way of life that is done gone and ain't coming back. The train has left the station and they just can't call it back.

opinions vary, as always

blessings, as always
 
Re: Ifa's Selection Guide And Images

Personal opinion, their DIRECTORY needs more help than either of those things, AND YES, THEY ARE ALL IMPORTANT TOOLS!
 
Common Ground

(the full version of this post will appear after Mothers Day)

Common Ground....Florists, services and more....

Until we can unite on "Common Ground" nothing major in this industry will be changed. The few, perhaps 500 or so Real Florists that call themselves independant because they have no connection to a traditional wire service are the minority. Then we have the other 20,000 other Real Florists that are brick and mortar shops that are associated with a wire service.

Often we hear from the minority telling the majority that their way is wrong, killing the industry and so on. Rarely do we hear from the majority telling the minority they are wrong for doing what works for them. Yes, sometime it's debated harshly, but generally from the standpoint that what works for some does not work for others, with the majority continuing to use the system to their advantage all the while waiting for an alternative to make a meaningful change in direction.

Some of us have made some changes, no longer do we buy codified containers, some have moved our credit card programs away from the services in favor of an independant soloution. Some have thrown out thousands upon thousands of dollars of technology in favor of an independant verson, making strides to distance ourselves from Big Brother.

Until we realize, and admit to ourselves that the florist using a service because of true ned for the function of his business, and that the true issue is the deception being portrayed upon the consumer and florist alike we will not find the "Common Ground" on which to focus our battle. It will take every florist, to make a difference.

Until we realize we are not each others enemy, and that the enemy is not really the wire service, but the practices they allow by a select few, we will not be able to formulate a battle plan. We need to stop the flow of orders from non Real Florists, that alone would make the biggest difference. We need to band together and form a united voice. This is the key thing I have been told, the services do not listen or care because they know we are fractured and not unified.

Common Ground....Real Florists.....survival...profitability....unity....what a concept.
 
flowerchild said:
Philly, think of the time spent resolving WS issues on a day to day basis...also resolving the statements each month. I bet you could find the time to "call" out orders. Maybe a little extra. Ask a Wire free florist if their time is compromised.
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Actually, very little time is needed. I reconcile monthly, two wire services, both shops, in about an hour. Ususlly, FTD rec's are really quick - about 15 min...

Gotta go - phones are ringing!!!!

- H.
 
Was going to say the same thing ... 5 minutes to reconcile an FTD statement, and very few "issues" with outgoing orders. Even those issues are most often resolved with a simple response through the Merc. Gotta love a (paperless) paper trail.

Ryan
 
Tom Carlson said:
Excuse me, can't florists see the BIG PICTURE? Belonging to a WS is making a contribution to the demise of retail floristry as it was once known.
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No, I disagree. Filling the orders of an OG is leading to the demise of the retail florist industry. Wait a sec...are not WE the ones doin' the fillin'??? Hmmm. If so, then aren't WEEE to blame for sending CRAPPY product? If you accept the order, you'd better fill it correctly - 'cause it's got YOUR name all over it - not the OG's! ('cept for 800 in some shops...). So, if you don't want it, SEND IT BACK!

So you see, Tom, while I understand what you are saying, you lumping the ENTIRE blame on the w/s. Blame goes ALL the way around. Heck, I'll step up the plate and accept my share right now! I filled for 800 for 9 years. Left them as of Jan 1st. Used to GO AFTER .COM orders. Not anymore. REJECTING TEL.COM orders faster than you can say 'DOVE SUCKS!'

BOSS just summed it up nicely:
Until we realize we are not each others enemy, and that the enemy is not really the wire service, but the practices they allow by a select few, we will not be able to formulate a battle plan. We need to stop the flow of orders from non Real Florists, that alone would make the biggest difference. We need to band together and form a united voice. This is the key thing I have been told, the services do not listen or care because they know we are fractured and not unified.

[break over: Back to my Geranium baskets...]

- H.
 
I thought you'd like that Mikey. :)

I was trying to hijack this broken record.

*looks into a 40 foot hole and sees florists beating, what looks like, an old horse.*
 
PhillyPhlorist said:
...
Until we realize we are not each others enemy, and that the enemy is not really the wire service, but the practices they allow by a select few, we will not be able to formulate a battle plan. We need to stop the flow of orders from non Real Florists, that alone would make the biggest difference.
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Hate to say it, but no way is the genie going back into the bottle...so we HAVE to view the current order transfer systems (OTSs) as an enemy. In a way you are right, if the tooth fairy waved her magic wand and brought us back to the 70s and ridded the world of OGs and F2F-only lived again, everything would be great and we could all "just get along"...

...problem is, reality has a nasty way of kicking the tooth fairy's butt...
 
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