Florist' Wake-up Call

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CHR

CHR

Design matters
Nov 28, 2002
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Florists' Wake-up Call

Is the fact that FTD now offers their complete line of products via Walmart finally the wake up call florists need to realize where the industry is heading? http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=182475

This latest move really highlights so many issues.

1. If FTD hosts your website or your site primarily consists of FTD products, Walmart will be offering the very same inventory as you, but for less.

The FTD Sweethearts Bouquet is retailing for $39.95 plus service charge at FTD.Com. That same bouquet is $33.59 at Walmart.com. I took a quick spin around the web and found it selling for $34.95 on most florists' sites. (Yes, I know the deliver fees are more but doubt most customers will even bother to notice.)

2. Think you can lower your local prices to stay competitive? Well, if I recall correctly, you must offer your arrangements to the wire services at the same rate you charge local customers. So no matter how low you go, by the rules, you'll have to accept those orders at a 27% discount...talk about a downward spiral. They will still be able to beat your price and make a small profit.

3. Would you buy those codiified items if you knew they were being offered by Walmart? Can you justify carrying them if they're forever to be used to fill deeply discounted orders, especially since they've lost all air of exclusivity?

4. Those of you co-branding with FTD are also now co-branding with Walmart whether you like it or not.

5. With this move, I believe they have crossed the line to make their real florists members de facto franchisees. All the work with less than half the profits.

Is this finally the motivation to get florists to feature their own products on their websites and to promote 100% local sales? I hope so.

There was an excellent post by Griff yesterday about the financial impact of 'smoke and mirror' pricing and the filling discounted orders. http://www.flowerchat.com/forums/showpost.php?p=30219&postcount=20 I urge everyone to read it.
 
Dang glad we started on our own images (finally) and we are going to continue to distance ourselves from "THEM"...

No codified ordered for Y2K5, and that will continue!!!

This should be the wake up call some have been waiting for, sad as it is, I see it as perhaps the final nail that will drive many in another direction, and I don;t mean Teleflora!
 
WalMart, SHAME

I just sent a e-mail to the FTD CEO and told him I feel it is time that ALL small FTD MOM and POP Shops pull out and let FTD and WalMart find somewhere to dump their cheap orders. I have been concerned about some of the things FTD has done in the past but when they partner with the World's Champion Small Business Killer, I feel it has gone to far for me. I know that I could quit FTD but I have, (Not a good Idea) built my business aroung FTD's Advantage and I don't know how to run my business with out this bear. I can't come up with $5,000 to buy out FTD and can't find another $5,000 to buy something else.

THE ONLY WAY WE CAN HURT FTD IS FOR A LARGER NUMBER OF US TO QUIT ALL AT ONE TIME.

If anyone can give me a way out of this, realistly, please let us all know.....

It is a sad day in the retail florist business......
 
This is not a 24 hour flu that the industry is experiencing nor is there a 24 hour cure. Like you I have the advantage system but that does not mean I have to continue to have it forever nor will I. A month or so ago some of us talk of forming a national alliance that is the one idea I think that has a chance of truely helping all the real florist out there. If this alliance had its own national web site with its own images we could break free of the wire services.
 
something to think about....

several florist friends have more or less said the same thing in discussions about the future "viability" of current WS practises....
Pretty simple.....SHUT OFF your Merc/Duck for Mothers Day!!...just shut it off!!
Call centres will call your orders to you direct...TURN DOWN anything that looks ANYTHING less than a direct shop to shop order!!
OOPS...didn't notice that my WS based order transfer system wasn't working...OOPS!
ONE HOLIDAY would BURY them ALL!!
 
Steve,

You and Rod have highlighted an important point - one that we realized in recent months. As our relationship with TF was deteriorating faster that our Daisy's faulty credit card progam, we decided it was time for a bump up in the tech department and a step back from wire friendliness. I didn't like TF's direction in tech, nor in direct-to-consumer sales, not to mention the nickle & diming of member florists ... so step one was to get a better and independent shop management system.

As a florist, I encourage everyone to at least explore the option of an upgrade to MAS - with the price of MiniMAS, almost no one can't afford it, and it truly is an upgrade to anything else on the market. If you decide MAS isn't for you look at other options that are separate from the wire services. Let's not get any further into servitude than we have to!

Some of us find we are able to leverage the services provided to create a profitable situation - I don't apologize for that. But part of this situation is the ability to be flexible and leave a WS quickly and effectively. We will no longer rely on them for our tech needs.

Get the tools, use them to take back the customers - joke the scum out by the roots!

Ryan
 
Mikey the Flower Guy said:
OOPS...didn't notice that my WS based order transfer system wasn't working...OOPS!
ONE HOLIDAY would BURY them ALL!!
Click to expand...

Mikey, are you suggesting a BOYCOTT ??? Dang I have not heard or had that thought for some time...

I would suggest though, that since we know we will not be successful at a major holiday that a "Strike" work stoppage or whatever we call it will get just as much attention if we shut it off for the month on June... a whole month of no inbound junk...

In June florists would have time to call out the few orders the month renders, and at the same time send a message to the BIG2 that we can control it all...
 
must be

wally came back with better $$$ to partner with dotcon. I sat at a meeting last fall with ftdceo and he told the round table of local florists that they declined to partner with wally. Guess the pot got sweeter.

silly us :hammer: never say never
 
My letter to FTD.com today

Dan, I had hopes that the compnay would see the errors of their ways, and return to the Real Florists that helped to build the giant that FTD has become. That I feel will now no longer ever happen. Greed has taken over and filled every nook and cranny of the company. Orders are more important than anything it seems, hell they are even letting technology fall apart.

FTD.com's latest association with Walmart, a compnay responsible for the demise of many small Mom and Pop businesses across the country, and in some cases intire cities is the last straw for me I am sorry to say. Walmart is perhaps even more predatory than FTD and all the order gatherers they support by "cloaking" their orders so that local florists can not make rational decissions with regard to what orders they fill, you are helping to purpotrate the fraud on the industry.

Effective at 10:00 am Tuesday February 8th, 2005 I will no longer accept orders from FTD.com and request removal from the "Go to program". I will not waste my time or money rejecting these orders, so it is your responsibility to remove my code number from the FTD.com database, and cease sending to my business. You can try to get service from the other shops in my area, however I would caution their quality may be somewhat questionable be careful whom you pick from the ASB list.

You all brought this on yourselves. It was bad enough before when FTD helped to hide orders from the likes of Urban, Artisian, Love'n Blooms and a whole host of other order gatherers. Along with that advertising as local, and not enforcing the rules of FTD upon those that pretend to be in MY market, some that do not even have any type of flower shop, assisting them in defrauding both the local florists and the consumer alike.

I have always been a proponet of FTD, and Dot.com for that matter, however this latest move leaves even me at a loss for words. Ftd has continued to devalue the FTD Logo, and this latest move with Walmart has tarnished it beyond repair to many florists. Perhaps someday the company will see the error of their ways, but I will bet that by then it will be too late, and the florists will no longer need the company. Perhaps if that day ever comes, I will allow these orders back into my flow, but for now that is not an option as it now, more than ever appears that I am assisting my competition in killing me.


Mark Smith
Smith's of Midland, INC
www.smithsflowers.com
www.flowerchat.com
www.reallocalflorist.com
989-631-0476 (office)
989-631-0470 (store)
This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. Unless otherwise stated, opinions expressed in this e-mail are those of the author and are not endorsed by the author's employer.
 
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Frank said:
BOSS, I wonder if Dan will reply to you? Let us know!
Click to expand...

Well Frank, as a matter of fact yes he did, this morning. As of today I am no longer in the FTD.com database as a filler.

I will not bore you with the obvious "spin" that accompanied the reply, but I will say that over the years Dan has always been upfront and honest with me, and he did what I asked when I asked him to.
 
A prompt response!

Thanks for sharing BOSS. Dan, as busy as he is, must hold you in high regard for him to respond so immediately.
 
I should add

that this "feels" better to me. I was having a conflict within myself regarding this issue.

The Walmart deal was the final straw for me, with regard to filling for "them". I felt that if I was to continue to "talk the talk" then I must also "walk the walk" when it came to advising others and expressing my opinions and concerns involving our beloved industry.

Every florist has to make a decission for themselves, and that decission must be based on what is best for their individual sittuation, and their individual business. I can only continue to inform, explain (to my best ability) and attempt to assist others in making good sound business decissions, if I too follow what I preach.

I have in many cases been accused of "double speak" and in some cases I guess I did, not trying to harm, but "back then" I too was still wishing for the best. With the current troubles facing our industry I can no longer allow myself to do that and expect others to listen with an open mind and make their own decissions.

I apologize right now to anyone who feels I did them a dis-service, and pledge, that I will from now on to the best of my ability state the facts as I see them, not allowing others to cloud my judgement.

Walk'n the walk... I remain, trying to Wag the Dog!
 
It's Kind Of Funny, Though

As of right now we are delivering $270.00 worth of flowers to our local WAL MART STORE employees on Valentines Day!
Clark :)
 
Here's the poop....

I heard from Mike, talked to Larry, George and Dan the FTD boys today and they all said it done for us...................

They joined with WalMart to stop them from shipping direct from the growers, as they had done in the past. Quite honestly I liked WalMart's shipping that crap in the past, that was very easy to compete with.

Now FTD has the V1 on the FTD.com site for $64.99, FTD's SRP on my web site and Florist Selection Book for the V! is $59.99 and WalMart has the V1 for $54.97. Dan told me that the V1 from WalMart will be sent to me at $64.99 and FTD would absorb the $10.00 loss just for us.

Now if anyone believes that, I have "Some ocean front property in Az." that I want to sell.

Trying to get an FTD exexutive to admit they made a mistake is like pulling hens teeth. I don't think they will ever admit they don't know what they are doing.

However, I think if enough of us would reject any gatherer, any Dot.com or any orders not generated from a real florist during the Month of June, they might start considering what they are doing to us. June was a reject period suggested by BOSS and I think it would be the thing to do. That would give the groupies something to talk about in Dallas in July.

Can anyone tell me how I could contact a very large number of FTD members, short of hand writing names and address out ot the directory?

I have not yet begun to fight.........
 
Gilliland said:
I heard from Mike, talked to Larry, George and Dan the FTD boys today and they all said it done for us...................

They joined with WalMart to stop them from shipping direct from the growers, as they had done in the past. Quite honestly I liked WalMart's shipping that crap in the past, that was very easy to compete with.

Now FTD has the V1 on the FTD.com site for $64.99, FTD's SRP on my web site and Florist Selection Book for the V! is $59.99 and WalMart has the V1 for $54.97. Dan told me that the V1 from WalMart will be sent to me at $64.99 and FTD would absorb the $10.00 loss just for us.

Now if anyone believes that, I have "Some ocean front property in Az." that I want to sell.

As a Florist. You should understand the pitfalls of putting off to tomorrow, what needs to be done today,

Why wait till june? When you can give them the good swift kick in the rear they so riichly deserve in the next 6 days.

Trying to get an FTD exexutive to admit they made a mistake is like pulling hens teeth. I don't think they will ever admit they don't know what they are doing.

However, I think if enough of us would reject any gatherer, any Dot.com or any orders not generated from a real florist during the Month of June, they might start considering what they are doing to us. June was a reject period suggested by BOSS and I think it would be the thing to do. That would give the groupies something to talk about in Dallas in July.

Can anyone tell me how I could contact a very large number of FTD members, short of hand writing names and address out ot the directory?

I have not yet begun to fight.........
Click to expand...

As a Florist. You should understand the pitfalls of putting off till tomorrow what needs to be done today.

Why wait till june when a good swift kick in the can, can be administered in the next 6 days?

How many times do have to take these little pre-holidaze suprises befor you catch on that it happens just befor all of them???????
 
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Gilliland said:
FTD would absorb the $10.00 loss just for us.
Click to expand...

As I understand it, these orders will be sent at FTD.coms prices, but I was under the impression that Walmart is making up the differnce. It does make more sense though, that FTD would be paying it as Walmart does not get a rebate and thus FTD would use that money to pad the order.
 
Absolutely none of it makes sense. It sounds like both WS are scrambling to pick up orders. Teleflora dissing Proflowers..and then being "polite" in their words? FTD/Wally world.. "Something stinks" and the skunk certainly is smelling much sweeter than the big 2...
FTD is "cloaking the prices"...did I not say (maybe the other place) that any in the know florist will know a Wally world price if sent to them .ie $33.45?
$33.67 ? I have lost faith with both, glad I'm out of TF..if it keeps up FTD will be worthless just for branding with wallyworld. Geez, why can't we co-op and buy our holiday containers there? oops, the grand plan, maybe next!
Am retyping all my outgoing messages tomorrow...Wake Up FTD Shop...check out flowerchat.com, realflorist.com
 
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