My wholesaler is gone

[anytimeflowers]

My favored wholesaler closed it's doors last night, they were a family run business for many many years. I could always count on superior product and service.

I have standing orders for my favored grower of roses and canadian tulips.

Bah - off to build some new relationships.

 

[sales@rosegarden]

So sorry to hear that! I have been there, my husband and I closed our wholesale business in Charlotte a little over three years ago and we really miss our friends!

Let me know what I can do for you as far as roses. Send me a pm with your number and we can talk if you need to!

 

[bootcampguy]

This might be the reason or it doesn't help......ATPDEA.

As of 2/13, all flowers entering the United States will now be accessed duties ranging from 3.2 to 6.8 percent. It is very important that as wholesalers and florists, we get this settled as soon as possible. None of us can afford that kind of increase! Please take the time to contact your congress representative and ask them to make this a priority!

AFIF Press Release
February 11, 2011--The U.S. Congress was not able to act on an extension of the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA) that is set to expire tomorrow, February 12, 2011. Importers will be assessed duties starting Sunday, February 13, 2011 at the rate of 3.2 to 6.8 percent.
In December 2010 at the very last hour Congress passed a six week extension of the ATPDEA which allowed flowers to be imported for Valentine’s Day duty free.
Knowing that a six week extension at the beginning of a new Congress with about 100 freshmen was going to be a hard task to get an extension accomplished in a short time, AFIF decided to be proactive and made visits to Congress from January 25th through February 10, 2011. During the Congressional visits there was an overwhelming support for the ATPDEA renewal. But, there was not that support for some of the additional items that were being "attached" to the ATPDEA renewal. AFIF, along with delegations from Colombia and Ecuador, expressed to the Congress the detriment that the lapse of the preferences will have on the flower importing companies.

Next week Congress will be back in session and they indicated that the ATPDEA is one that they will work on. The hope is that Congress can work out their difference and pass another extension of the ATPDEA. AFIF will continue to make sure that Congress moves forward so that the flower industry is not burdened by paying duties for a long period of time.

Ways and Means Chairman, Dave Camp (R-MI) stated "…….Without this commitment from the Administration, other trade measures – such as TAA and ATPA, which we sought to extend this week – are now in limbo, and American workers will suffer as a result."




Make our calls.......

 

[sales@rosegarden]

Holy Moly. I am gonna have to read that more than twice Rick! I think I may be bringing this up in our next meeting at the farm. I am gonna get my dad on this as he is the attorney and he understands the mumbo jumbo better than I do. Did I mention my brain has been taken over by those little snot dudes from the Musinex commercial. Reading anything more than Dick and Jane books has me confused!

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

Holy Moly. I am gonna have to read that more than twice Rick! I think I may be bringing this up in our next meeting at the farm. I am gonna get my dad on this as he is the attorney and he understands the mumbo jumbo better than I do. Did I mention my brain has been taken over by those little snot dudes from the Musinex commercial. Reading anything more than Dick and Jane books has me confused!

"Dick and Jane" taught me much of what I know!!.......<sigh>,,,,

 

[BOSS]

Just think about it.... florists are struggling, and the wholesalers customer base is florists... As we have seen over the last 4-5 years, many florists have closed their doors, it's only natural that the wholesaler segment is next in line.

Fewer florists... and many of those that are still around have chosen to not support their local florist and moved their purchasing to online, again removing support from the local wholesaler. I know from talking to mine, there are shops here in town that they do not even deal with any longer as these shops owe them tens of thousands of dollars, and have shifted purchasing to FlowerBuyer...

Good luck to those that go this route... try getting 40 hydrangea for a party tomorrow at 4pm today....my local suppliers can pull that off, nobody else can...

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

Just think about it.... florists are struggling, and the wholesalers customer base is florists... As we have seen over the last 4-5 years, many florists have closed their doors, it's only natural that the wholesaler segment is next in line.

Fewer florists... and many of those that are still around have chosen to not support their local florist and moved their purchasing to online, again removing support from the local wholesaler. I know from talking to mine, there are shops here in town that they do not even deal with any longer as these shops owe them tens of thousands of dollars, and have shifted purchasing to FlowerBuyer...

Good luck to those that go this route... try getting 40 hydrangea for a party tomorrow at 4pm today....my local suppliers can pull that off, nobody else can...

Mark, yours is one of those post that should AND MUST, be front and centre in our industry! The few remaining wholesalers MUST BE SUPPORTED, or many MORE shops WILL CLOSE!!

 

[concord]

I do try to support my local wholesalers and I have not ever ordered from Flowerbuyer tempting as that may be. However, the quality, or lack of has forced me to use more wholesalers, there for buying less from each. I'd love to go back to the days when 2 wholesalers was all I needed to get all the fresh quality plants and cuts I needed but between all of them carrying less due to the economy and many of them selling old dead stuff I really have to shop around now. It takes me longer and costs me more to shop this way but I can't afford not to if I want to continue to carry quality product.

 

[anytimeflowers]

What Helen speaks of is the main problem I'm facing right now. There are other wholesalers and I have had their product. One of them has warehouses in more than just Minnesota. I will not buy from them, their product does not meet my standards.

One of them I like the product very much, but it is a different way of buying that I am not familiar with. They grow much of their own, I love their gerbs, roses of course are on the smaller side. They have availability sheets that you have to decide what you want by variety. They DO bring in product as well so they do seem to have a fairly good selection.

One other has quite nice product but they do SO much DIY that you are very likely to run into a customer. Some of their other business practices 20 years ago put a bad taste in my mouth for their company and I have not bothered to see if things have changed.

I WON'T do flowerbuyer. I have in the past, but a couple years ago I realized I was causing damage to my favored wholesaler and vowed to not do so anymore. Even though FB does not have a problem crediting bad product, when you need it now and then it comes in cooked or frozen, the scramble is more than I want to deal with.