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Internet & Technology
Monday, February 02, 2004
Don't Mess Up On Valentine's Day, Go Surfing
BY RUSSELL SHAW
FOR INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Not all that long ago, sending a Valentine's card involved licking a stamp. And ordering flowers meant a trip to the local flower shop, or calling a toll-free phone number.
These days, you can take care of just about any Valentine's Day task with the click of a mouse. There are several hundred floral, greeting card and gift sites on the Web.
You can use these sites to order flowers, other Valentine's-themed presents and cards for real-world delivery, or choose greeting cards that will wind up in your recipient's e-mail box.
Generally, floral and other gift Web sites will charge a delivery or service fee in addition to the cost of the gift item. The fee is determined by the type of merchandise you order, as well as the day you wish your Valentine's gift to arrive.
Cut flowers, artificial flowers and gift baskets are generally delivered by overnight express providers such as FedEx (FDX) and United Parcel Service. (UPS) Fees start around $10, and depending on the size of the item and the time between order and desired delivery date, can reach as high as $35.
Fresh flowers, such as long-stemmed roses, are quite perishable and fragile — and are not well-suited to overnight delivery. That's why fresh flowers ordered online are usually delivered by a local florist. Some pricey floral arrangements include the delivery fee within the price. Local florist delivery for most other floral arrangements average $10.
Because Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, falls on a Saturday this year, orders timed to be delivered that day usually carry a surcharge on top of normal delivery fees. Next-day orders on Hallmark.com, which are delivered through Fed Ex, are normally $9.95. But they're priced at $15.95 if you want them to be delivered on Valentine's Day.
If you're willing to pay the service fees, though, there's an amazing selection of items online.
Take FTD.com, (FTDI) based in Downers Grove, Ill. The site carries more than 115 flowers, plants, chocolate and gourmet items, jewelry, stuffed animals, collectibles and gifts for Valentine's Day. It's one of the more extensive online resources for those with love to share.
On the frugal side, a basket of six tulip bulbs costs $29.99. Three dozen long-stemmed roses, arranged in a glass vase and available in red, yellow, pink, peach or white, cost $179.99.
If your beloved is a chocoholic, FTD.com's $36.99 Chocolate Indulgence Basket is one option. The 10-by-5-inch basket contains a variety of Ghirardelli Chocolates such as nonpareils, chocolate squares, chocolate-covered sandwich cookies, chocolate chip cookies and a chocolate-covered graham dunk.
At Kansas City, Mo.-based Hallmark Cards Inc.'s site, there are more than 50 Valentine's Day-oriented floral arrangements. These include one dozen long-stemmed pink roses, starting at $69.95, or six red roses for $34.95. A vase of red tulips, meanwhile, costs $39.95.
Hallmark is traditionally more associated with greeting cards than with flowers. Hallmark.com offers plenty of those, available for separate delivery via regular mail.
Many of the cards on the Hallmark site cost $2.74 plus 37 cents postage. For $3.11, you can fill out a personal greeting on the site.
Greetings can be as much as 130 characters, or about 25 words. You can also choose a type face and card color. Just fill out the recipient's name and address, and then enter your credit card number. The greeting card will then be on its way.
The Valentine's Day Center on 1-800-Flowers.com offers a collection of more than 50 deliverable floral arrangements, gift boxes, candies and gifts for children.
On the upper end of the price scale, two dozen long-stemmed roses in a glass vase cost $109.99, plus as much as $35 if delivery is made on Valentine's Day.
Roses are available in red, white, pink, peach, yellow or in multicolored, mixed arrangements. Delivery for these, as well as other selected floral arrangements, is provided by local florists.
If you want to send a Valentine's Day gift to your niece or daughter in another city, 1-800-Flowers.com offers several choices. For example, the $49.99 "I Wanna B Your Teddy Bear" combines a 10-inch-high velour toy bear with a 15-stem daisy bouquet. The $49.99 price is lowered by as much as 20% if you schedule delivery for Tuesday through Friday before Valentine's Day.
Greeting cards can also be ordered through 1-800-Flowers.com. Standard-sized Valentine's Day cards cost $2.49 or $2.99, plus 37 cents postage. If you've been procrastinating, you can send the card overnight delivery via FedEx for $11.25. Two-day FedEx delivery is $8.50.
This Valentine's season, many people will forego gifts and paper greeting cards and choose e-cards. These cards are ordered directly from the Web and sent via e-mail.
BlueMountain.com — part of BMA Holdings LLC in La Jolla, Calif. — has one of the largest collections of Valentine-themed e-cards.
In addition to romantic greetings, there are cards for parents, children, siblings and even pets. To send these cards, you will need to register with the site. A year's subscription to BlueMountain, which includes the first 30 days free, costs $13.95.
Internet & Technology
Monday, February 02, 2004
Don't Mess Up On Valentine's Day, Go Surfing
BY RUSSELL SHAW
FOR INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Not all that long ago, sending a Valentine's card involved licking a stamp. And ordering flowers meant a trip to the local flower shop, or calling a toll-free phone number.
These days, you can take care of just about any Valentine's Day task with the click of a mouse. There are several hundred floral, greeting card and gift sites on the Web.
You can use these sites to order flowers, other Valentine's-themed presents and cards for real-world delivery, or choose greeting cards that will wind up in your recipient's e-mail box.
Generally, floral and other gift Web sites will charge a delivery or service fee in addition to the cost of the gift item. The fee is determined by the type of merchandise you order, as well as the day you wish your Valentine's gift to arrive.
Cut flowers, artificial flowers and gift baskets are generally delivered by overnight express providers such as FedEx (FDX) and United Parcel Service. (UPS) Fees start around $10, and depending on the size of the item and the time between order and desired delivery date, can reach as high as $35.
Fresh flowers, such as long-stemmed roses, are quite perishable and fragile — and are not well-suited to overnight delivery. That's why fresh flowers ordered online are usually delivered by a local florist. Some pricey floral arrangements include the delivery fee within the price. Local florist delivery for most other floral arrangements average $10.
Because Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, falls on a Saturday this year, orders timed to be delivered that day usually carry a surcharge on top of normal delivery fees. Next-day orders on Hallmark.com, which are delivered through Fed Ex, are normally $9.95. But they're priced at $15.95 if you want them to be delivered on Valentine's Day.
If you're willing to pay the service fees, though, there's an amazing selection of items online.
Take FTD.com, (FTDI) based in Downers Grove, Ill. The site carries more than 115 flowers, plants, chocolate and gourmet items, jewelry, stuffed animals, collectibles and gifts for Valentine's Day. It's one of the more extensive online resources for those with love to share.
On the frugal side, a basket of six tulip bulbs costs $29.99. Three dozen long-stemmed roses, arranged in a glass vase and available in red, yellow, pink, peach or white, cost $179.99.
If your beloved is a chocoholic, FTD.com's $36.99 Chocolate Indulgence Basket is one option. The 10-by-5-inch basket contains a variety of Ghirardelli Chocolates such as nonpareils, chocolate squares, chocolate-covered sandwich cookies, chocolate chip cookies and a chocolate-covered graham dunk.
At Kansas City, Mo.-based Hallmark Cards Inc.'s site, there are more than 50 Valentine's Day-oriented floral arrangements. These include one dozen long-stemmed pink roses, starting at $69.95, or six red roses for $34.95. A vase of red tulips, meanwhile, costs $39.95.
Hallmark is traditionally more associated with greeting cards than with flowers. Hallmark.com offers plenty of those, available for separate delivery via regular mail.
Many of the cards on the Hallmark site cost $2.74 plus 37 cents postage. For $3.11, you can fill out a personal greeting on the site.
Greetings can be as much as 130 characters, or about 25 words. You can also choose a type face and card color. Just fill out the recipient's name and address, and then enter your credit card number. The greeting card will then be on its way.
The Valentine's Day Center on 1-800-Flowers.com offers a collection of more than 50 deliverable floral arrangements, gift boxes, candies and gifts for children.
On the upper end of the price scale, two dozen long-stemmed roses in a glass vase cost $109.99, plus as much as $35 if delivery is made on Valentine's Day.
Roses are available in red, white, pink, peach, yellow or in multicolored, mixed arrangements. Delivery for these, as well as other selected floral arrangements, is provided by local florists.
If you want to send a Valentine's Day gift to your niece or daughter in another city, 1-800-Flowers.com offers several choices. For example, the $49.99 "I Wanna B Your Teddy Bear" combines a 10-inch-high velour toy bear with a 15-stem daisy bouquet. The $49.99 price is lowered by as much as 20% if you schedule delivery for Tuesday through Friday before Valentine's Day.
Greeting cards can also be ordered through 1-800-Flowers.com. Standard-sized Valentine's Day cards cost $2.49 or $2.99, plus 37 cents postage. If you've been procrastinating, you can send the card overnight delivery via FedEx for $11.25. Two-day FedEx delivery is $8.50.
This Valentine's season, many people will forego gifts and paper greeting cards and choose e-cards. These cards are ordered directly from the Web and sent via e-mail.
BlueMountain.com — part of BMA Holdings LLC in La Jolla, Calif. — has one of the largest collections of Valentine-themed e-cards.
In addition to romantic greetings, there are cards for parents, children, siblings and even pets. To send these cards, you will need to register with the site. A year's subscription to BlueMountain, which includes the first 30 days free, costs $13.95.
