Florists For Change

[jamie]

Hi Jamie. I had an interesting flower shopping experience the other day here in Ottawa (900 000 person city). The short version is after 2 florists that had no website, one that listed the wrong number, one with wilted flowers, I finally came across one that had what I wanted. This after driving around for almost 1.5 hours. My experience there was not a pleasant one. And one where better web presence would have made my life so much easier. Florists and OG's have flaws, nobody is doing things perfectly right. I do however root for the florists because I believe in passion in everything a person does, and I suspect the average florist is just more passionate about things in general.

As for the concept of middlemen and their place in our economy, they are everywhere. In my experience from the other day where I drove around like an idiot for 1.5 hours, I would have much rather used a middle man. I buy hotel rooms from websites that act as middlemen all the time. They're convenient for me.

We have two competing stores in Ottawa, Shoppers drug mart and Walmart. Walmart has everything at a fraction of the price from Shoppers. Yet I often go to Shoppers because of their location, or their hours, or just because I happen to drive past it. I'm paying some 20-25% more at Shoppers, and by choice. Is Shoppers scamming me? If an OG's website is easier to find, easier to use, is it scamming me the client? Landing on a website to me is just like driving past Shoppers. They built that Shoppers on the best street corner in my part of town, and they decided to have the best hours. They pay a lot of money to make themselves that prominent. They charge more, and people pay it.

Where I think you and I meet in the middle is that I HATE the idea of people paying for more, and getting less. And if every experience through an OG is like this, than obviously the system is completely broken. Like I said I would never order my flowers any other way than direct from a florist, because it's simply what I'm in the habit of doing. That said I'm just not prepared to completely discount what OG's do on the basis of profit margins and geography. Something in that doesn't quite sit right with me, although clearly I'm having issues properly expressing it. I have to think about it a bit more.

I googled "Ottawa Florist" and 10 real local florists came up in the google places section. They all have websites. If you had decided to use a middle man, my guess is you would have googled "Ottawa Florist" then you could pay $15 extra to use one of the OGs that pop up on Adwords (Teleflora, Canadaflowers.ca, Bloomavenue, goflorist etc) and they would have sent your order to one of the 10 shops listed on Google places, or they may have sent it to the one with the wilted flowers. If you are going to purchase from a random flower shop, why not save yourself the $15 service fee? The middleman is unnecessary.

Also, online business is not like B&M business. Would you really pay Shoppers more for toilet paper if they were right next to the Walmart. How about if their rent was higher?

Actually a better analogy is would you pay Shoppers a higher price for a roll of Charmin Ultra then accept a roll of Walmart generic brand?

That would chap my a$$

 

[BOSS]

BOSS's Quote of the day!

This thread is going around in the same circle that this board as a whole tends to ....."Real" Florists versus the "Dark Side"(evil forces arrayed against them). As I am trying to get some work done so that I can take a week off starting Thursday ( yes , even those unjustifiably accused of being OG's get time off), I will relate something that occurred today that proves there is still a sense of humor on this board.

Just minutes ago a package addressed to me arrived at our office, as I did not recognize the sending company and knew I had not ordered anything the package was put through a rigorous set of safety checks, x-rayed, chemical tests swabs, and submerged in water (the same ones that all suspected OG's use) prior to opening it. The actual opening of the package was delegated to a junior staff member and was performed at a safe distance from the building while I took refuge in the company panic-room (something that many suspected OG's have installed). Thankfully the package proved safe (which saved us rehiring a junior staff person) and turned out to actually be a gift from an individual on this board.

Here is a picture

View attachment 15148

Thank You Ryan, I will wear it with pride

Right on...right on... too flipp'n funny~!!!

BTW...loose the polo underneath... cut the sleeves off and you'd fit right in at my place

 

[bernie]

Jamie.... or anyone else who has not tried this.
Try google maps and type in Ottawa Florist... In fact type in Ottawa Florist 230 bank street. A green arrow will point to where you are delivering to and the closest flower shops are shown on the map. There are no markings on the map of order gathers.... or FTD or TELEFLORA

 

[bootcampguy]

If you type in Ormond Florist, Tele pops up on the page. If you type in my name, Just Flowers appears ahead of me and it's my name!!........Only one variation shows no OG but all the rest do. Also, now Dollar Store is appearing under the category of flowers for Ormond Beach. So some of us are not so lucky......

 

[duanermb]

I think I'll lose feeling in my fingers if I attempt to respond to every post I'd like so I'll limit this to a couple of comments about focusing on the realities of change vs. the idealistic model of the florist industry.

The bottom line here is that we are in a losing battle against the way the market has changed both online, on the phone, on the streets and florist to florist. In order of importance, here are my thoughts with their relevance to this conference and subsequent questions for discussion during:

#1. On the streets: 60% of the people are buying from supermarkets due to price and value perception.

Bottom line - Any florist who is currently struggling isn't providing value to their local customers, and whether you think you are or not, it's what they perceive that's important. We need to be able to buy better, cheaper and with greater volume to be competitive with the grocery stores.

Takeaway: How can we accomplish this?

#2. On the phone: Lots of florists are still paying big bucks for Yellowpages ads and other useless advertising.

Bottom line - If the $300 or more you are paying isn't a lowly 2% of your marketing budget, get out and re-invest that money on the internet. Google is the new Yellowpages and has been for some time. Florists need training and willpower to set marketing budgets for the year and allocate them to the first and best targeted sources of income.

Takeaway: What are the best tools to market your business locally? How much should be allocated to local and how much to internet? What are the absolutely most successful strategies that have worked?

#3. Online: Most markets can define their competitors online with a couple of searches and a couple of clicks.

Bottom line - If the (deceptive) OGs are getting more business for your town than you are, then you should give your head a shake and go back to #2. 60% of the clicks in Google's search results go to the top 3 spots. You can't win em all, but all that's left after that is the scraps. If you have one of those spots, then you're doing your job (which will never end to stay there). So, what are these guys really taking away from you? The remaining 40% of the clicks are being spread around the other 7 organic results and sponsored listings. So, there's an OG at position #9. Who cares! They only get 3% of the clicks down there. We need to worry about things that are actually relevant.

Takeaway: Should I consider my website a separate profit center?(YES) How much should I allocate to this? What is the best way to market your business online? What tools are available to improve my online presence? Do I know everything I need to know about social media? Is my website up to the task? Do I need help?

#4 Florist to Florist: Well, this is not even worth discussing, because its already easier for the customer to phone or order online and this will only get easier. Let it die like the TV repair shops and hardware stores. "My corporates need it!" If your corporates are that important, call out the order and be sure you are getting what you want.

In Closing:

#2 and #3 are so tightly tied together, that they could be one point, but in order to be totally clear, they need to be completely separate.

Our local presence and focus is our opportunity to win. The search engines, especially Google, are making it more and more difficult for OGs to show up in the search results. (Fake listings aside, that is not florist specific) Things are now ultra local and are becoming ultra social and earning those orders is up to you. Doug is right. FTD, TF and others have earned the nationally generated orders they get from the occasional flower buyers. They pay huge money to advertise and promote fresh flower delivery and deserve to get some of that. There will always be competition.

I hope your event is very successful and you're able to come out of it with a solid plan of action for local florists to help florists ensure their fair share of the orders floating around out there. I just hope you are focused on the right things. (Opinion ALERT!) If #s 1-3 are lacking, we don't deserve to have #4 or the wire business.

 

[anytimeflowers]

The Money Trail

There is SO much that goes into this but here is the bottom line.

I decided to do a test, and here are my results.

As the consumer, I wanted to send some flowers to my neighbor to cheer her up. Because I was at work, I had ample time to surf the net for the best price.
I settled on one that I found on line, it wasn't a shop three blocks from her house.

This is what I purchased.

Bright, cheery, and CHEAP!

I placed the order at 12:30pm on Friday and even though the order said that orders placed after 12:00 might not go the same day, I took the chance. I got charged a $12.99 delivery/service charge on top of the flowers but that seemed fair to me for delivery.

I waited excitedly to hear from my neighbor about her beautiful flowers. And waited. And waited.

Today, Tuesday, she called to sort of thank me. Turns out she was out of town. Her grandson found the package on the front steps yesterday (Monday) when he went to her house to mow the lawn so he stuck the package inside of the house. She said it was lucky he found them, she didn't get home until today. She said they were fine, "they were all closed up in a grocery bag". She added water and called me.

I went over during my lunch today to take a peek at what she got. The florist who filled the order is about 20 minutes from here. There are probably 15-20 shops that are closer. I will tell you that the package was sent on our pool delivery, it was not them who left it on the doorstep, it went through our pool delivery service.

Here is what was sent.


Shocking comparison, isn't it?

Here is a list of the flowers which came in an ivy bowl.

1 Snapdragon
1 Stem Asiatic Lily
2 Carnation
2 Stems Daisy pom
Salal, solidago, and statice.
Don't forget the ivy bowl.

How much do you come up with using that recipe? $20? $25? More? Then add the delivery 12.5 miles away.

The arrangement was actually quite lovely and springy although as usual, a picture snapped from a cell phone and then e-mailed (which is how this image came to be, I'm sticking with reality) shows a completely different thing when the sender compares it to what they saw on line.

I paid a total of $27 and some odd cents, $14.99 for the flowers, and $12.99 for delivery/service fee. I got WAY more than I paid for in delivery and flower value, but it looks like crap. Coupled with the left on doorstep issue, this is a guaranteed complaint.

 

[Doug Munro]

The Money Trail

There is SO much that goes into this but here is the bottom line.

I decided to do a test, and here are my results.

As the consumer, I wanted to send some flowers to my neighbor to cheer her up. Because I was at work, I had ample time to surf the net for the best price.
I settled on one that I found on line, it wasn't a shop three blocks from her house.

This is what I purchased.
View attachment 15151
Bright, cheery, and CHEAP!

I placed the order at 12:30pm on Friday and even though the order said that orders placed after 12:00 might not go the same day, I took the chance. I got charged a $12.99 delivery/service charge on top of the flowers but that seemed fair to me for delivery.

I waited excitedly to hear from my neighbor about her beautiful flowers. And waited. And waited.

Today, Tuesday, she called to sort of thank me. Turns out she was out of town. Her grandson found the package on the front steps yesterday (Monday) when he went to her house to mow the lawn so he stuck the package inside of the house. She said it was lucky he found them, she didn't get home until today. She said they were fine, "they were all closed up in a grocery bag". She added water and called me.

I went over during my lunch today to take a peek at what she got. The florist who filled the order is about 20 minutes from here. There are probably 15-20 shops that are closer. I will tell you that the package was sent on our pool delivery, it was not them who left it on the doorstep, it went through our pool delivery service.

Here is what was sent.
View attachment 15152

Shocking comparison, isn't it?

Here is a list of the flowers which came in an ivy bowl.

1 Snapdragon
1 Stem Asiatic Lily
2 Carnation
2 Stems Daisy pom
Salal, solidago, and statice.
Don't forget the ivy bowl.

How much do you come up with using that recipe? $20? $25? More? Then add the delivery 12.5 miles away.

The arrangement was actually quite lovely and springy although as usual, a picture snapped from a cell phone and then e-mailed (which is how this image came to be, I'm sticking with reality) shows a completely different thing when the sender compares it to what they saw on line.

I paid a total of $27 and some odd cents, $14.99 for the flowers, and $12.99 for delivery/service fee. I got WAY more than I paid for in delivery and flower value, but it looks like crap. Coupled with the left on doorstep issue, this is a guaranteed complaint.

So, lets take a poll on this one... who takes the bullet. The fulfiller or the seller?

 

[anytimeflowers]

So, lets take a poll on this one... who takes the bullet. The fulfiller or the seller?

Why do you ask that, Doug? Do you think there should be a bullet?

In this case, btw, it would fall on the pool delivery because they are not supposed to leave packages on door-steps without express permission from the florist or the sender. What they do in this case is determine a COST of the flowers and reimburse the florist that amount, and re-deliver for free.

 

[Doug Munro]

I think I'll lose feeling in my fingers if I attempt to respond to every post I'd like so I'll limit this to a couple of comments about focusing on the realities of change vs. the idealistic model of the florist industry.

The bottom line here is that we are in a losing battle against the way the market has changed both online, on the phone, on the streets and florist to florist. In order of importance, here are my thoughts with their relevance to this conference and subsequent questions for discussion during:

#1. On the streets: 60% of the people are buying from supermarkets due to price and value perception.

Bottom line - Any florist who is currently struggling isn't providing value to their local customers, and whether you think you are or not, it's what they perceive that's important. We need to be able to buy better, cheaper and with greater volume to be competitive with the grocery stores.

Takeaway: How can we accomplish this?

#2. On the phone: Lots of florists are still paying big bucks for Yellowpages ads and other useless advertising.

Bottom line - If the $300 or more you are paying isn't a lowly 2% of your marketing budget, get out and re-invest that money on the internet. Google is the new Yellowpages and has been for some time. Florists need training and willpower to set marketing budgets for the year and allocate them to the first and best targeted sources of income.

Takeaway: What are the best tools to market your business locally? How much should be allocated to local and how much to internet? What are the absolutely most successful strategies that have worked?

#3. Online: Most markets can define their competitors online with a couple of searches and a couple of clicks.

Bottom line - If the (deceptive) OGs are getting more business for your town than you are, then you should give your head a shake and go back to #2. 60% of the clicks in Google's search results go to the top 3 spots. You can't win em all, but all that's left after that is the scraps. If you have one of those spots, then you're doing your job (which will never end to stay there). So, what are these guys really taking away from you? The remaining 40% of the clicks are being spread around the other 7 organic results and sponsored listings. So, there's an OG at position #9. Who cares! They only get 3% of the clicks down there. We need to worry about things that are actually relevant.

Takeaway: Should I consider my website a separate profit center?(YES) How much should I allocate to this? What is the best way to market your business online? What tools are available to improve my online presence? Do I know everything I need to know about social media? Is my website up to the task? Do I need help?

#4 Florist to Florist: Well, this is not even worth discussing, because its already easier for the customer to phone or order online and this will only get easier. Let it die like the TV repair shops and hardware stores. "My corporates need it!" If your corporates are that important, call out the order and be sure you are getting what you want.

In Closing:

#2 and #3 are so tightly tied together, that they could be one point, but in order to be totally clear, they need to be completely separate.

Our local presence and focus is our opportunity to win. The search engines, especially Google, are making it more and more difficult for OGs to show up in the search results. (Fake listings aside, that is not florist specific) Things are now ultra local and are becoming ultra social and earning those orders is up to you. Doug is right. FTD, TF and others have earned the nationally generated orders they get from the occasional flower buyers. They pay huge money to advertise and promote fresh flower delivery and deserve to get some of that. There will always be competition.

I hope your event is very successful and you're able to come out of it with a solid plan of action for local florists to help florists ensure their fair share of the orders floating around out there. I just hope you are focused on the right things. (Opinion ALERT!) If #s 1-3 are lacking, we don't deserve to have #4 or the wire business.

Not bad, not bad at all.... a voice of reason. This is exactly what this thread needed someone who hasn't been involved in the back and forth sparring over the last 26 pages. Duanne, you have my general agreement on most of what you say, it hits the nail on the head.

The one point that I would disagree (to a degree) is on point #1
"We need to be able to buy better, cheaper and with greater volume to be competitive with the grocery stores".
Unfortunately the reality is that its just not the actual cost of goods that dictate a supermarkets retail price compared to a traditional florist, more importantly it is their mark-up. Lets assume for the moment that a supermarket can buy a rose for $0.15 per stem less ($1.80 per dozen) than say Joe's Flowers, that doesn't even come close to explaining a $20.00 - $40.00 difference in the price to the consumer. Going back to a statement I made earlier in this thread a lot of traditional florists are working on an out of date business model....low volume, high margin.

This is just an example why I firmly believe that focusing on the WS's or OG's as the root of the problem is not going to resolve the issue. The industry from top to bottom needs to be looked at as a group working together.

Something I was thinking about today is the fact that although this board is intended to provided a place for open exchange of ideas about the flower industry it has no members who speak for growers, wire services (I haven't seen the gal from TF on for ages) or OG's. Not that I can say I blame them as they tend to get roasted on this board. Nor from what I have heard will there be any representation from these groups at the meeting in Vegas. So can someone please explain how you resolve an industries issues when a good portion of the critical players (good, bad, or indifferent) involved are not even participating?

 

[anytimeflowers]

Not bad, not bad at all.... a voice of reason. This is exactly what this thread needed someone who hasn't been involved in the back and forth sparring over the last 26 pages. Duanne, you have my general agreement on most of what you say, it hits the nail on the head.

The one point that I would disagree (to a degree) is on point #1
"We need to be able to buy better, cheaper and with greater volume to be competitive with the grocery stores".
Unfortunately the reality is that its just not the actual cost of goods that dictate a supermarkets retail price compared to a traditional florist, more importantly it is their mark-up. Lets assume for the moment that a supermarket can buy a rose for $0.15 per stem ($1.80 per dozen) less than say Joe's Flowers, that doesn't even come close to explaining a $20.00 - $40.00 difference in the price to the consumer. Going back to a statement I made earlier in this thread a lot of traditional florists are working on an out of date business model....low volume, high margin.

This is just an example why I firmly believe that focusing on the WS's or OG's as the root of the problem is not going to resolve the issue. The industry from top to bottom needs to be looked at as a group working together.

Something I was thinking about today is the fact that although this board is intended to provided a place for open exchange of ideas about the flower industry it has no members who speak for growers, wire services (I haven't seen the gal from TF on for ages) or OG's. Not that I can say I blame them as they tend to get roasted on this board. Nor from what I have heard will there be any representation from these groups at the meeting in Vegas. So can someone please explain how you resolve an industries issues when a good portion of the critical players (good, bad, or indifferent) involved are not even participating?

I caught that too, Doug. IIRC, grocery stores have a 45% mark-up. That is not feasible for the average florist, a lot of the labor would have to go away. Then, what is left is.....well......a grocery store.

I can say that I have not seen a .15 rose offered since maybe the 1990's for the quality I buy. Mine cost at low end .89 and the local are generally over $1. My mark-up is right for me. I don't sell nearly as many roses as I used to, I moved into more specialized products, something that the average consumer cannot compare to roses. The comparing of apples to oranges thing has caused me to concentrate on other things. Some of those specialty items I can purchase by the case for a good price and turn the product by offering a special low price. It does work but it has to be the right product.

 

[Doug Munro]

Why do you ask that, Doug? Do you think there should be a bullet?

In this case, btw, it would fall on the pool delivery because they are not supposed to leave packages on door-steps without express permission from the florist or the sender. What they do in this case is determine a COST of the flowers and reimburse the florist that amount, and re-deliver for free.

The reason I asked is to simply point out that there are a number of parties in each transaction that can be at fault. I personally don't think that after the fact jumping up and down to lay blame resolves the issue. In the case of this particular order a portion of responsibility for the end result could be shouldered by all three parties, sending shop (website), fulfiller, and delivery pool. Why

1) Price sold at is low, no doubt about that.
2) Product delivered looks nothing like picture.
3) Delivery was a disaster

 

[Doug Munro]

I caught that too, Doug. IIRC, grocery stores have a 45% mark-up. That is not feasible for the average florist, a lot of the labor would have to go away. Then, what is left is.....well......a grocery store.

I can say that I have not seen a .15 rose offered since maybe the 1990's for the quality I buy. Mine cost at low end .89 and the local are generally over $1. My mark-up is right for me. I don't sell nearly as many roses as I used to, I moved into more specialized products, something that the average consumer cannot compare to roses. The comparing of apples to oranges thing has caused me to concentrate on other things. Some of those specialty items I can purchase by the case for a good price and turn the product by offering a special low price. It does work but it has to be the right product.

If you read my comment I referred to a supermarket buying a rose for $0.15 LESS than Joe's Flowers. So in the case of your $0.89 rose they would pay $0.74. Now before anyone comments on this I have NO KNOWLEDGE as to what any supermarket currently pays, but I do have a reasonable idea of what roses cost to grow and import and frankly it is literally a business of pennies. So the all too common assumption that supermarkets pay a lot less than say Joe's Flowers is not based in reality. I have personally experienced back and forth for days on end with a grower to negotiate a price reduction of $0.01 per stem over the course of a year..

As for a supermarkets "mark-up" I suspect like other retailers it varies from chain to chain. However when I was in the wholesale sector it was not unheard of for a supermarket to seek as low as a 25% gross margin on flowers (33% mark-up).

 

[anytimeflowers]

The reason I asked is to simply point out that there are a number of parties in each transaction that can be at fault. I personally don't think that after the fact jumping up and down to lay blame resolves the issue. In the case of this particular order a portion of responsibility for the end result could be shouldered by all three parties, sending shop (website), fulfiller, and delivery pool. Why

1) Price sold at is low, no doubt about that.
2) Product delivered looks nothing like picture.
3) Delivery was a disaster

I agree.

The problem however, is not going away. Laying blame is not going to fix the very real problem that is plaguing the industry. If I were really a consumer in a different state ordering that arrangement for my Aunt, I would be outraged at the image Aunt Sally sent along with her thanks for the flowers, even if there was no delivery issue.

Because I was there in person and saw the flowers, I know that it was very fresh looking, springy, bright, cheery bouquet and again, looked nothing like what the second image shows. My neighbor even turned on the overhead chandelier so that I would have more light to take the picture with my phone!

My whole point is that I got far more value than what I paid for, but still would complain and the florist would end up on the short end of that stick. This is what has caused so much uproar, and will continue to until we can devise a way to sell something on line without getting caught in the technology trap.

 

[duanermb]

Just for the record. My point was not to seek out equality in pricing with Safeway. It was more about generating a reasonable margin based on our current pricing and perhaps becoming more competitive. A little of both would go a long way to helping us. Save 10 cents on a product - pocket 5 cents and pass 5 cent savings in to the consumer.

We still provide a sought after, premium product that people want to buy. They just don't see the extra 3 to 10 times difference in value that we are expecting them to and its not sustainable from any level. They do see value in a $5 -$15 difference in rose cost but not likely any more than that.

I would never suggest competing against the grocery stores. Only defining your pricing based on the perceived value of your product which is partially based on what the grocery stores sell for and has zero to do with what you pay for the product.

 

[keith]

The huge difference in florist vs grocery store is so big it is a very difficult model to even compare.
1. People who buy in big stores are buying for them selves mainly.
2. The store does not need to get a dozen yellow with red tip roses by 3pm. If they don't have them no biggy, no special orders.
3. They sell what they have, no level of service, take it not.
4. No delivery is expected or considered.
5. The major cost is shrink, not labor.
6. Most large grocery stores work on a 4-5% margin, as long as flowers exceed that they will carry them, the minute they don't they will drop them.
7. Flowers are frosting profit, if they get it great, if not, it is pennies on the bottom margin.
8. Most successful big retailers have a HUGE amount of walk in trade, VERY few florists can even dream of the numbers.
9. Their purchases are set and standardized and as such they get a very good price year round. If there is a vendor who will supply for a nickle less they will go there.

The list goes on, we are not going to compete with the grocery stores, do not try, our niche is in a higher level of product and service.

Every florist should be willing to try a new cheaper vendor, but not willing to sacrifice quality.

Our Portland market with 5 wholesalers has many of the companies offering the very same flowers the grocery stores sell for often double and triple the price they could get them for if the bought by the box and not by the bunch. As long as they continue to buy that way and pay those prices they will NEVER compete.

Thoughts by Keith

 

[duanermb]

The huge difference in florist vs grocery store is so big it is a very difficult model to even compare.
1. People who buy in big stores are buying for them selves mainly.
2. The store does not need to get a dozen yellow with red tip roses by 3pm. If they don't have them no biggy, no special orders.
3. They sell what they have, no level of service, take it not.
4. No delivery is expected or considered.
5. The major cost is shrink, not labor.
6. Most large grocery stores work on a 4-5% margin, as long as flowers exceed that they will carry them, the minute they don't they will drop them.
7. Flowers are frosting profit, if they get it great, if not, it is pennies on the bottom margin.
8. Most successful big retailers have a HUGE amount of walk in trade, VERY few florists can even dream of the numbers.
9. Their purchases are set and standardized and as such they get a very good price year round. If there is a vendor who will supply for a nickle less they will go there.

The list goes on, we are not going to compete with the grocery stores, do not try, our niche is in a higher level of product and service.

Every florist should be willing to try a new cheaper vendor, but not willing to sacrifice quality.

Our Portland market with 5 wholesalers has many of the companies offering the very same flowers the grocery stores sell for often double and triple the price they could get them for if the bought by the box and not by the bunch. As long as they continue to buy that way and pay those prices they will NEVER compete.

Thoughts by Keith

Yes.

But.... To the average consumer. A rose is a rose is a rose. This.

http://thefloristblog.dragonflyflow...florists-perspectives-on-long-stem-roses.aspx

Really doesn't matter that much, though when I blogged it, I thought it might make a difference. Not.

I'm not talking about competing. I'm talking about winning over the consumer by buying better. "A new, cheaper vendor" ???

In my city the roses at Safeway come from the same wholesale, and in fact the arranged flowers also come from that wholesaler. Quality is not an issue for every day flowers. We're not discussing wedding or event work. That's 15 times markup, so why not buy the #1 product. We're talking about every day flowers.

The consumer doesn't care one bit that you bought $1.25 roses instead of the .79 cent ones.

 

[keith]

Duane, you are right but you missed the most telling point, the consumer may not care but if you buy 1 bunch of flowers you will pay a huge premium, but if you buy a box of flowers you may throw 6 bunches away. the small florist is not going to commit to purchasing before they have a sale.
Therefore they NEVER will be able to get that better price.

Keith

 

[duanermb]

Duane, you are right but you missed the most telling point, the consumer may not care but if you buy 1 bunch of flowers you will pay a huge premium, but if you buy a box of flowers you may throw 6 bunches away. the small florist is not going to commit to purchasing before they have a sale.
Therefore they NEVER will be able to get that better price.

Keith

Then the small florist will fail.

Reality Check.

THIS IS THE PROBLEM IN THE INDUSTRY, WHY THAT FLORIST PROVIDED SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN THE PICTURE AND WHY OVERALL - FLORISTS ARE NOT GOOD FILLERS.

Please discuss this at your convention.

 

[BBJ (Big Bad John)]

Then the small florist will fail.

Reality Check.

THIS IS THE PROBLEM IN THE INDUSTRY, WHY THAT FLORIST PROVIDED SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN THE PICTURE AND WHY OVERALL - FLORISTS ARE NOT GOOD FILLERS.

Please discuss this at your convention.

Problem is it was sold wrong, just like the order we have for tomorrow morning. It's this arrangement Spirited Grace we sent an ask message because the only white liles we have came in this morning and they are green as grass no way will there even be 1 bloom open by tomorrow, I also tried 2 suppliers that come to us in the morning with no luck. The sender FTD.Com sent a cancel message, 10 minutes later they sent the same order back followed by an answer message that says "YOU MAY DO SUBSTITUTION AS LONG AS IT IS SIMILAR" Good luck on that! how do you make something similar????? My problem here is did they even contact the sender? or did someone at FTD just decide that anything will do? By the way this is for a funeral taking place at 2pm. so all tight lilies is not an option.

 

[secretgarden]

Again Seth is reading these boards I swear!



Now granted he is not talking about florists. But it does relate to what has been said here in the past few posts.

We believe in high quality, some may say our customers don't care what roses we buy. When customers come in to tell us how well our flowers perform I would find that hard to believe. When customers call us and ask us what we do to our flowers because the ones they buy at the grocery store never last that long, it proves it. They want cheap, they will buy cheap. When they want something that is going to last, they come to me.

We have loss leaders, this week it's 5 stems of daisies for $4.99. Why daisies, because they are going to last for a long time. Our hope is that they will come back for more daisies, or maybe to see what else we have. If $5.00 lasted them 2 weeks, holy cow what can they get for $50.00

Just my opinion. Oh and here is Seth's entire article if you want to check it out.