Just wondering how many - if any large shops 1M + are wire service free.

[badwoof]

After 30 years of dealing with Wire services - I want to go wire service free. Let me know if you have gone this route. Do you think it was a good choice? How do you handle regular customers needing out of town delivery?
Thanks
George

 

[CHR]

Not quite $1M but major Wire Service free for nearly 3 years. We are still BBrooks members (boutique WS) and it works well for us. Outgoings are a very small part of our business. (under 10%... more like 5...)) We give customers phone numbers to shops in distant locations all the time. Really, do any of us know exactly what will be delivered by another shop? When your customers care about flowers, they want to know, and no one can tell them better than the shop who'll deliver it.

At your volume, leaving a classic WS will be challenging. You'll need non-WS photos (preferably your own shop's work) and if you have a lot of shoppers sending out of town, this can be a challenge on a website. You'll need an internal selection guide for walk-in folks, too.

I applaud you for asking this question and would type more if I wasn't in for some very long days the next 4 days.

 

[lori042499]

Not anywhere near that amount of biz, but will put my 2cents in...

Like Cathy said, the small wires are getting to be very useful..I am finding that flowershop network is gaining as people leave TF and FTD they are going with FSN so the amount of good florists are getting up there and coverage is getting really widespread..and it is only 250 a year, period the end...Bborrks is really good only good quality florists are allowed in..

How much of your business is wireout?? Do your customers really depend on you doing the outs for them, are you comfortable with putting the work back on them by giving them the name and number of a florist to call..I know corporate accounts really just want one place to call and set it all up, that is reliable and we need something in place to do this..especially for very busy shops..

How many wire services do you currently have? If you have more than one, pare back to your favorite one and see how that goes...More than one for any shop, I really don't care what the size is just cuckoo...you are double triple paying service charges for the same function, like paying for electric 3x a month, just doesn't make sense..

 

[BOSS]

if you have gone this route. Do you think it was a good choice? How do you handle regular customers needing out of town delivery?
Thanks
George

George... my customers think it was a good move~! And I'm sure the florists we send them to do as well, they get 100% of the money...

We give out other florists number every day, often 20 or more on a normal day, and hundreds at a holiday.

Customers are thankful, and now that many of mine are "educated" we get calls saying that "so and so told me if I called you you would give me a number to..."...