Did you suspend your Mercury or Dove?
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Eric S
Demoted Webmaster
Nope.
We saw more quality orders this year and I think more florist are at least paying attention to Min and Delivery charges. Unlike from you flowers that still continued to send bellow minimum orders and expecting free delivery and prices that included chocolates and bears.
I talked with our rep on Thursday and told her that we were committed to sending more quality orders and we were receiving more quality orders. We feel that Teleflora sending seems to carry more qaulity with their order and Customers where very impressed with the new Teleflora web images and the response to those orders being filled where very good.
However it did seem that request for any of the Teleflora keepsakes where no where to be found. I think this is was the first year that I did not have cusomters requesting them and did not recieve any inquires about the keepsakes from other florist. Since we where not codified for them I am sure I do not have the full story. But usually we get request for some of the items but not this year.
We saw more quality orders this year and I think more florist are at least paying attention to Min and Delivery charges. Unlike from you flowers that still continued to send bellow minimum orders and expecting free delivery and prices that included chocolates and bears.
I talked with our rep on Thursday and told her that we were committed to sending more quality orders and we were receiving more quality orders. We feel that Teleflora sending seems to carry more qaulity with their order and Customers where very impressed with the new Teleflora web images and the response to those orders being filled where very good.
However it did seem that request for any of the Teleflora keepsakes where no where to be found. I think this is was the first year that I did not have cusomters requesting them and did not recieve any inquires about the keepsakes from other florist. Since we where not codified for them I am sure I do not have the full story. But usually we get request for some of the items but not this year.
The majority of wire-ins we received were from TF HQ. Our website outsold all wire-ins by a huge margin ($$ and #).
CHERYL BAKIN
New Member
Yes,
for the first time in about 5 years.....
had to suspend on Sat at 10 am to get the orders from "FU flowers" & flowers sent today to stop!!
They were all low-ball orders, with very specific requests....did not have time to reject anymore....
Turned it back on this am, and spend the a lot of time rejecting more crapola stuff today.
We sold out of the TF #1 Mom's vase, and sold ourselves a great # of the TF centenial vase..... our own specials went well.
Noticed that most TF orders were from HQ, and were for not a lot of money.
Our own website did very well Very, Very pleased with that...It's like having another person there to answer the phone & not have to feed them!! Love it, Love it!!
Good saturday, the rain stopped early, we got all our wedding done & delivered to beautiful brides & made their Moms happy with a small surprise. I love it when I deliver happiness.
Hope you all had a great holiday.
Cheryl
for the first time in about 5 years.....
had to suspend on Sat at 10 am to get the orders from "FU flowers" & flowers sent today to stop!!
They were all low-ball orders, with very specific requests....did not have time to reject anymore....
Turned it back on this am, and spend the a lot of time rejecting more crapola stuff today.
We sold out of the TF #1 Mom's vase, and sold ourselves a great # of the TF centenial vase..... our own specials went well.
Noticed that most TF orders were from HQ, and were for not a lot of money.
Our own website did very well Very, Very pleased with that...It's like having another person there to answer the phone & not have to feed them!! Love it, Love it!!
Good saturday, the rain stopped early, we got all our wedding done & delivered to beautiful brides & made their Moms happy with a small surprise. I love it when I deliver happiness.
Hope you all had a great holiday.
Cheryl
NavyBrat
Well-Known Member
We've never, ever shut off anything in our shop for the past 30 years. If you aren't prepared to fill every order that comes your way during a holiday, don't call yourself a ~Real Florist!!!~ We filled close to 250 prom orders on Friday, in addition to every Mother's Day order.
blomingdns
Active Member
Shut down dove Friday night - most dove orders were from hdqtrs and were for very low prices - rejected most of them. when asking for more money, we were turned down.
We sold out of most of the containers we bought and for full price.
Glad it's over with.
We sold out of most of the containers we bought and for full price.
Glad it's over with.
I voted no. I did shut our systems down 1/2 hour before our posted closing times, on Saturday, but continued answering the phone. We are closed on Sunday.
CHERYL BAKIN
New Member
As a clarification....
As I stated, this was the first time in over 5 years that we ever suspended (dove or mercury). We had orders that were bouncing all over the city from Flowers send today and other OG.....We had a good walkin business and good regular clients (as well as real florists) call us on Saturday to fill their orders. We did, and were were prepared.
I was, unfortunately, not prepared to have a dedicated person at the computer dealing with the crapola that had to be rejected full-time all day on saturday (avg order from FST was under $30.00 total). ..with very spcific requests for flowers and NO money and TIMED deliveries.
We felt that, unfortunately, we had not choice but to turn the junk machine (as one of my people called it) off.
We did not want to do it,...hated doing it.....but wanted to fill profitable orders.....and service our own customers well.
If someone that is a real florist tried to send me something on Saturday after 10 am until about 4 pm, and you got forwarded, I am truly sorry.
But, we will not sit on incoming orders and reject at the end of the day....that's not fair to the customer either, IMHO.
Thanks,
Cheryl
ps...I was also just offering an honest explanation.
Our mode of operation is OVER-PREPARED. We deal with whatever, whenever....usually. We just couldn't handle this just anymore this weekend. thanks for listening.
As I stated, this was the first time in over 5 years that we ever suspended (dove or mercury). We had orders that were bouncing all over the city from Flowers send today and other OG.....We had a good walkin business and good regular clients (as well as real florists) call us on Saturday to fill their orders. We did, and were were prepared.
I was, unfortunately, not prepared to have a dedicated person at the computer dealing with the crapola that had to be rejected full-time all day on saturday (avg order from FST was under $30.00 total). ..with very spcific requests for flowers and NO money and TIMED deliveries.
We felt that, unfortunately, we had not choice but to turn the junk machine (as one of my people called it) off.
We did not want to do it,...hated doing it.....but wanted to fill profitable orders.....and service our own customers well.
If someone that is a real florist tried to send me something on Saturday after 10 am until about 4 pm, and you got forwarded, I am truly sorry.
But, we will not sit on incoming orders and reject at the end of the day....that's not fair to the customer either, IMHO.
Thanks,
Cheryl
ps...I was also just offering an honest explanation.
Our mode of operation is OVER-PREPARED. We deal with whatever, whenever....usually. We just couldn't handle this just anymore this weekend. thanks for listening.
prestonway
Well-Known Member
Verrrry interesting...
Three people have stated they turned off their machines...but only one person has voted YES.
Verrrry interesting indeeeed...
Three people have stated they turned off their machines...but only one person has voted YES.
Verrrry interesting indeeeed...
Joe Mioux
Well-Known Member
Pw, I only see two saying they turned off the machines.
anyway....
In bounds represented only 5% of total sales this week. YAWN.
Most were TF hq's
Customers are dealing more direct these days.
What is interesting and needs to be noted is that Cheryl and blomdns are both located it major Metro areas. Pittsburgh and Miami...
For the mid size and small markets, I bet inbounds were insignificant.
joe
oh I am a REAL florist, and yes we shut it off yesterday at about noon. The reason being, we are the only TF shop here and we kept getting the same stupid orders over and over for below our minimums or for things that we were not codified for. I don't think that has ANYTHING with being unprepared. It has to do with being able to focus on the locals or people who had enough sense to call US directly rather than 800flowers or any other online og.
BTW we would also get orders for below our minimums from so called REAL florists. REAL florists that don't know how to look up codifications. REAL florists who THINK YOU HAVE TO SELL TF product for what the TF suggested retail is.
So that 'don't call yourself a REAL florist' comment doesn't set too well with me. I'm a DAMMN GOOD REAL FLORIST AND A DAMMN GOOD MANAGER!!! I work until my fingers bleed and my shoulders feel like they will explode.
Different shops have different staffing situations, different wholesale situations, different situations period. To judge another shop and say it can't call it self or it's staff REAL FLORISTS is BS.
I know navybrat is beloved here, and I agree with a lot of stuff she says, but come on. I am MULTI AWARD WINNING, 25+ YEAR VET, AND A REAL FLORIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do not judge ME by my want and need to focus on REAL ORDERS!!!
Joe Mioux
Well-Known Member
When has the ws rules changed?
I recall that the day before a major holiday, we can substitute and fill orders according to our inventory.
Shannon, correct me if I am wrong.
joe
NavyBrat
Well-Known Member
Shannon,
You should take a chill pill. Don't take everything so personally...you seem to do that often. We encounter the same problems as you...it only takes a minute to reject an order. You've stated numerous times that you are an exceptional manager, designer, etc. I believe you...if my post doesn't refer to you, then don't lose your temper. It's not that big of a deal.
It's not just me Navy it's other people too that may have taken that personally,
you said very clearly if you have to shut off your dove you should not call yourself a real florist.
NavyBrat
Well-Known Member
Shannon,
I stand by my opinion...sorry if you are offended. It is just my personal opinion, which I am entitled to. We are always "on"...that's just how I operate. I wish other florists had the same mentality. There are exceptions to every rule, but I find too many florists ~shut down~ their operation during a holiday...which is the one time you should be ready for anything.
I'm not sure what you mean about the changed rules.... please explain.
as far as subs, you can sub all the time with product that is equal or greater value so long as the integrity of the design isn't lost. And only if the order is NOT stated with "no subs"
We set minimums for a reason. And I feel sending shops should honor those minimums. The little 'H' (just for those of you who may not know) means a shop reserves the right to "UP" their minimum at (H)oliday time.
shops never have to honor TF suggested retail prices. You can charge less or more to fit the needs of your store. I have gone round and round with this issue with a lot of uninformed shops. Not calling them stupid or non real florists, just saying that they don't know.
That is what I had always been taught since I got into this business. So I asked Marie Ackerman at TFHQTS, and yes indeed I was right. What I didn't know was how they come up with the suggested. How they come up with the suggested is that it simply is an average, too much for me to type to explain though. and if any shop needs to adjust, it's more than their right. TF cannot dictate to any shop what they have to sell their products for. If they did that is called price fixing and that is illegal.
Most of the orders we had to reject was from og's and tfhqts.
We even got an inquiry on an order that had to be subbed. They wanted to cancel the order after we filled it because they said the wrong thing was sent. we did exactly what we were told to do and I told tf no way jose. We were told we could sub so we did. The product they wanted we were not even codified for. the order came from tfhqts, so after that, any orders that came in with the combo of below our minimum and for product we were not codified for we just canceled. I felt that was just complaints waiting to happen.
I don't know if that answers your question Joe
Joe Mioux
Well-Known Member
No shannon it didn't.
Unless something has changed and no one has informed me, the day before a holiday, florists are allowed to substitute. We always tried to get as close as possible to the original order, however, subs of any type were allowed.
That is how those rules were when there were WS rules....
joe
Unless something has changed and no one has informed me, the day before a holiday, florists are allowed to substitute. We always tried to get as close as possible to the original order, however, subs of any type were allowed.
That is how those rules were when there were WS rules....
joe
RC in Dayton and Cincinnati
New Member
Not for sure, but I think we stopped taking wire outs on Friday because we were having such a tough time getting them sent out. By Friday afternoon we had 50 or so that we couldn't get filled ( a lot of disappointed mothers).
Nearly all our orders are easy and nonspecific, no special containers, no special flowers, but still no luck getting them filled.
Hopefully by next year I'll have some better options for my customers.
RC
Nearly all our orders are easy and nonspecific, no special containers, no special flowers, but still no luck getting them filled.
Hopefully by next year I'll have some better options for my customers.
RC
Joe Mioux
Well-Known Member
Randy, were most of those outbounds destined to large cities or medium/small markets?
That's fine navybrat, and I don't want to argue, I do respect you.
All I'm saying is most shops have different circumstances, and if they need to do something different from other shops to be successful I will not judge them for it.
I know my posts can come across argumentative, but seriously they are not meant to.
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