Now that I've had time to look at it.....
OK, I have to admit, I probably jumped the gun a little bit calling it "mediocre." When I got back from lunch, I opened the actual design book as opposed to the workroom manual. Here's what I have noticed:
--There is mostly only one bouquet/image per page. Looking at it from a consumer's point of view, I do see this as a plus. I have so many customers looking at the other selection guides only to be confused with so many choices and not knowing what to pick.
--I would say nearly all of the designs are easily replicable by any florist. They use everyday containers for the most part and readily available flowers.
--The photos are good quality.
--The designs are actually probably what my customers are looking for. I am not a way-out-there contemporary designer but sometimes I'm tired of the same ol' thing. I have to remind myself that customers aren't constantly seeing flowers like I am. The designs are really quite nice--not over the top, but just right.
I think my initial reaction was just being ticked off because here it is, another wire service forcing the florist to pay for goods/services they don't want. I really didn't mean to slam the designers or the overall quality of the book. I admit to having bad design days and I can only hope my designs can be as nice as those in the book on a day-to-day basis. I'm sure it's a losing battle to send it back. I'm sure I'll just end up paying for it instead of sending my daughter to summer camp.
