More KaBloom

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BOSS

BOSS

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Oct 31, 2002
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Accordig to Super Floral Retailing, the industry rag for the supermarket group...

KaBloom is the nations fastest growing floral retailer with stores in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina Rhode Island and Texas.

KaBloom expects to open stores soon in Michigan, Arizona, California, Illinois, Missouri and Pennsylvania.

Recently hired Randy Schenaur, hired away from Deleware Valley Wholesale will be handeling logistics between the stores and airlines, trucking companies, growers, wholesalers and suppliers.

Looks to me like KaBloom is trying to KaBOOM all over our parade...
 
Michael - The Kabloom site shows that all those flowers are BOXED and shipped FedEx. Forty dollars for 12 stems of roses with no mention of stem length is not such a great deal even if it does include shipping. A great offer for Valentine's Day - a FREE vase with your order.

Well, I'll agree in one thing. to the average consumer, $39.99 for a dozen roses shipped over-night with a FREE vase will probably look better than a dozen roses ARRANGED in a vase and delivered same day locally for $65 or $70. I guess the floral industry is just another extension of our "do it yourself" society.
 
Ok I visited them today...

The gentleman who is pictured in the article in our News was there on the floor and I shook his hand and said "I seen you pictured in the News paper and the misses and I thought we would visit to check out what Kablooms was all about"..no we did not lead on we were florists ourselves. He asked us if we were interested in a franchise and we said were studying it.
I'm guessing the building in this so called strip mall is about 1600 sq feet not very wide but deep. We observed galvanized french style buckets on cube risers on one wall with tulips,iris,etc...
The front window area was mostly blooming plants in ceramic containers etc.. The walkin cooler was kinda neat.. automatic doors and all the roses and other flowers were inside Roses were $14.95 per doz and up.Nice quality but the stock was blah..
Sales counter was narrow not much room to fill out a card with a Pos system and hanging on the side on the counter were bouquet sleeves with Kabloom written on them to self select your bouquets?.

The gentleman who is operating this was a car salesman and said last year he didn't know anything about flowers.
His partner and himself spent 4 weeks in Boston being trained on the Pos,design,hiring/firing and what ever they do to train in 4 weeks.
The big boss of Kablooms owns or did own an office supply like Staples or something to that affect.
The CFO? helps fund your loan of the $250,000 for the franchise and this person owns 13 dunkin donut stores in the Boston area. There is no guarantee of a return on your investment.

Most if not all of the designs I say were vased flower arrangments with tulips, lilacs gerbs callas and such out in the open on the floors and at nite everything is place back in the coolers. Water changed out every day or two and stems recut.

There was no selection guide to choose from on the counter nor were there any gifty items or balloons displayed anywhere. Funeral Work? Wedings? I don't know if they do that.I get a feeling the only thing missing with this concept is a drive-up window..It's different for sure.

Oh, they order flowers on Monday and there cut and shipped on
Thursday and one of our Detroit area Wholesalers delivers them to their location but I'm not sure which day that happens.

I will not disclose what I was told in regards to Teleflora and Kabloom but if I was still a member of tf I would not be happy. You folks will have to find out for yourself and I'm not making up anything.

Good Day everyone..go visit one near you and find out like I and the misses did today.
 
Thanks for the report on your filed trip Blue. It was like I was their myself. Good job.

250 large for a flower shop franchise. The last store that opened up near us probably spent about $10,000. to open up.
D.
 
Ok I visited them today..part two

Prices on cut flowers are very low and I mean LOW which brings the question of just how much you have to work your tail off to pay for the lease,franchise,payroll and product to make it work?.

I thought, it's tough now being a Brick and Mortar Mom and Pop shop trying to compete with local competition in our area yet this concept of Kablooms is "self serve" and no wonder they are open 14 hours a day.

Unless your in a downtown area chock full of people walking around shopping I just cannot see this business model work in an area like ours.

This might work out in Toronto in the downtown shopping area or in Time Square of NY or
Chicago Downtown but it's not something I would want to startup in a small town.

The area this shop we visited today has ALOT of well to doo folks who are not feeling the pinch of the Economy that most of us in the US are in fact my 4 year old Explorer was surounded by NEWMercedes on the streets.

I knew this..but someone here Hal? started to chastise me for saying that.
Hal I wonder why you sold YOUR SHOP? to be a saleman for MAS?..I'm not that stupid.
 
The people who buy into the KaBloom business have to have a LARGE amount of available cash. I believe I heard the amount $100,000.

Judy
 
Re: Ok I visited them today..part two

Originally posted by Blue Oyster Cult


I knew this..but someone here Hal? started to chastise me for saying that.
Hal I wonder why you sold YOUR SHOP? to be a saleman for MAS?..I'm not that stupid.
Click to expand...

I'll answer for Hal, hope he doesn't mind - he had a heart attack, Mike, and was told to find a less stressful job (yeah that same stress you and I are always b1tching about) in a better climate, if he wanted to live.

If you had met the MAS people, you could see there ain't much more better people to be working for! Nice to be amongst the leaders of something.
 
Re: Re: Ok I visited them today..part two

Originally posted by bloomz
I'll answer for Hal, hope he doesn't mind - he had a heart attack, Mike, and was told to find a less stressful job (yeah that same stress you and I are always b1tching about) in a better climate, if he wanted to live.

If you had met the MAS people, you could see there ain't much more better people to be working for! Nice to be amongst the leaders of something.
Click to expand...

And thats the fact Jack !

We all have stress in this biz, and too much... Far as I can tell, I'm right behind him so the Doc's tell me anyway, but unlike Hal, I'm too ornery to die ~!
 
Re: Ok I visited them today...

Originally posted by Blue Oyster Cult
I will not disclose what I was told in regards to Teleflora and Kabloom but if I was still a member of tf I would not be happy.
Click to expand...

Hmmm.... TF's coming to lunch today... perhaps I'll be able to enlighten folks after that...
 
Re: Re: Ok I visited them today..part two

Originally posted by bloomz
If you had met the MAS people, you could see there ain't much more better people to be working for! Nice to be amongst the leaders of something.
Click to expand...

I never said they are bad people bloomz, I only wondered why his shop was sold...thanks for the information about his health..stress is the number one killer in the human body for sure.
 
Re: Re: Re: Ok I visited them today..part two

Originally posted by Blue Oyster Cult
I never said they are bad people bloomz, I only wondered why his shop was sold...thanks for the information about his health..stress is the number one killer in the human body for sure.
Click to expand...
Mike sold my store when an Angel tapped me on the shoulder with a sack of $$$$$$$$. At the same time had a minor illness and Bruce and Abner came along. Wow !!! Now how many times in your life will someone showup to buy a very large successful floral biz ? And not hold notes ? Bruce and Abner have given me an opprotunity to continue in this wonderful biz, that I love very much. I feel great, have a whole new outlook on life and love our MAS Customers. I love being associated with the BEST !! So with that being said onto better things..
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Ok I visited them today..part two

Originally posted by gr8vet
Mike sold my store when an Angel tapped me on the shoulder with a sack of $$$$$$$$. At the same time had a minor illness and Bruce and Abner came along. Wow !!! Now how many times in your life will someone showup to buy a very large successful floral biz ? And not hold notes ? Bruce and Abner have given me an opprotunity to continue in this wonderful biz, that I love very much. I feel great, have a whole new outlook on life and love our MAS Customers. I love being associated with the BEST !! So with that being said onto better things..
Click to expand...

Hal,

All that matters is your around yet, and you're still in the industry you love. Hopefully with alot less stress.
 
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