Sorry so long, but I can't help it!!!
The difference is not in the increase or the decrease. The real information to learn here is what direction FTD is steering people who visit & order from FTD.COM.
It is clear that FTD is betting on more people buying more products that are directly shipped from them and by-passing the florist model.
I do not see a problem with private companies selling directly shipped items from their own websites to consumers. I have a problem when a partner, and in this case a partner in business takes for themselves and only leaves expense for the other partner (their members).
In this case we have FTD raising fee’s to its membership. Technology, incoming order fees, transaction fees, quality assurance fees and a related number of others soon to be released. While this takes place FTD introduces new direct shipped products and lowers the bar on price of arrangements sent through their deeply discounted system. This is in my book a partner taking money from the register and putting it into their pocket. They are not worried about paying the electric bill.
If FTD chooses to be direct competition of its members (customers) FTD should by all rights increase the gross amount transmitted to those shops on orders generated by FTD itself. Give back at the very least the clearinghouse fee. After-all FTD does charge a service fee. FTD’s CEO admits that he understands that florists are under increased pressure for rising fuel costs and require more monies to make deliveries. However he refers to the arrangements in our trucks as “Our Bouquets” meaning FTD. So apparently FTD claims ownership of the property in our coolers and our vehicles. Today’s business world is fueled by LEGAL words, and LEGAL issues. Using the term “Our BOUQUETS” leaves no question in my mind on who should be responsible to foot the costs associated with delivery of THEIR products. Hmmmmmmm. I encourage everyone to listen to the call. It’s a sneak peek in the very dark world of BIG BUSINESS and a tell all of things to come. I would never expect a fellow florist that collects a service fee to hand it over to another shop. But I would expect a for profit company collecting fees from customers to be a little more flexible especially when they tell their STOCKHOLDERS that the products in our trucks is THEIRS!
You won’t have to convince me that FTD would never do this, however I do think that FTD’s management is failing the investors of the company to see beyond the next quarter. No doubt the actions that they are taking now and over the coming weeks will continue to cause FTD to loose more florists. The only thing that I hope for is that the damage that they cause does not reach beyond their members and cause the Retail Florist Industry to suffer greater than we apparently have been. Unfortunately, FTD’s damage causing practices reach much further then the boundaries of membership. They hit us all, in every market on every street.
In order to beat FTD, one has to find a way to discredit the company’s creditability and reliability. FTD takes the position that they deserve the reputation they have earned. The ironic part is FTD never earned an individual reputation. The reputation enjoyed today by the company was once shared with the true achievers, the Florists of FTD. Sure, times change and so does business. No doubt we are all experiencing changing times. Making the best of the situation is not an impossible task. It requires creativity and a passion to excel and succeed.
Florist are, and will always be, accepting orders, manufacturing arrangements, coordinating deliveries for same day gifting for customers. This is unique to our industry. In many cases we go from phone call or online order to delivery completion in just a matter of an hour or two. We take risks everyday, we gamble with inventory, staffing and speculate holiday buys. If our industry as a whole could operate more like a business and recognize competition when we see it, I think the future of many would be more secure.
If only, if only I wasn’t dreaming. Am I? Are you? Can we?
Remember that book we all read when we were kids?
The lines went from, I think I can, I think I can.
to
I Know I can, I know I can.
The difference is not in the increase or the decrease. The real information to learn here is what direction FTD is steering people who visit & order from FTD.COM.
It is clear that FTD is betting on more people buying more products that are directly shipped from them and by-passing the florist model.
I do not see a problem with private companies selling directly shipped items from their own websites to consumers. I have a problem when a partner, and in this case a partner in business takes for themselves and only leaves expense for the other partner (their members).
In this case we have FTD raising fee’s to its membership. Technology, incoming order fees, transaction fees, quality assurance fees and a related number of others soon to be released. While this takes place FTD introduces new direct shipped products and lowers the bar on price of arrangements sent through their deeply discounted system. This is in my book a partner taking money from the register and putting it into their pocket. They are not worried about paying the electric bill.
If FTD chooses to be direct competition of its members (customers) FTD should by all rights increase the gross amount transmitted to those shops on orders generated by FTD itself. Give back at the very least the clearinghouse fee. After-all FTD does charge a service fee. FTD’s CEO admits that he understands that florists are under increased pressure for rising fuel costs and require more monies to make deliveries. However he refers to the arrangements in our trucks as “Our Bouquets” meaning FTD. So apparently FTD claims ownership of the property in our coolers and our vehicles. Today’s business world is fueled by LEGAL words, and LEGAL issues. Using the term “Our BOUQUETS” leaves no question in my mind on who should be responsible to foot the costs associated with delivery of THEIR products. Hmmmmmmm. I encourage everyone to listen to the call. It’s a sneak peek in the very dark world of BIG BUSINESS and a tell all of things to come. I would never expect a fellow florist that collects a service fee to hand it over to another shop. But I would expect a for profit company collecting fees from customers to be a little more flexible especially when they tell their STOCKHOLDERS that the products in our trucks is THEIRS!
You won’t have to convince me that FTD would never do this, however I do think that FTD’s management is failing the investors of the company to see beyond the next quarter. No doubt the actions that they are taking now and over the coming weeks will continue to cause FTD to loose more florists. The only thing that I hope for is that the damage that they cause does not reach beyond their members and cause the Retail Florist Industry to suffer greater than we apparently have been. Unfortunately, FTD’s damage causing practices reach much further then the boundaries of membership. They hit us all, in every market on every street.
In order to beat FTD, one has to find a way to discredit the company’s creditability and reliability. FTD takes the position that they deserve the reputation they have earned. The ironic part is FTD never earned an individual reputation. The reputation enjoyed today by the company was once shared with the true achievers, the Florists of FTD. Sure, times change and so does business. No doubt we are all experiencing changing times. Making the best of the situation is not an impossible task. It requires creativity and a passion to excel and succeed.
Florist are, and will always be, accepting orders, manufacturing arrangements, coordinating deliveries for same day gifting for customers. This is unique to our industry. In many cases we go from phone call or online order to delivery completion in just a matter of an hour or two. We take risks everyday, we gamble with inventory, staffing and speculate holiday buys. If our industry as a whole could operate more like a business and recognize competition when we see it, I think the future of many would be more secure.
If only, if only I wasn’t dreaming. Am I? Are you? Can we?
Remember that book we all read when we were kids?
The lines went from, I think I can, I think I can.
to
I Know I can, I know I can.
