Nominate the Most Deceptive WS Arrangement!

[CHR]

Do you have a continual beef with a WS design? Is it impossible to re-create 'as pictured' based on the recipe compared to the photo, description and price including delivery? Does the design make the honest design work on your site appear over-priced due to camera/photoshop slights-of-hand?

Nominations are now being accepted for 'Worst National Flower Company Arrangement'. Submit your least-favorite design from FTD, 1-800-Flowers, Teleflora or FSI. (Can you tell this competition was inspired by the 'photoshop' thread?)

Since some FC members may not want to make their submissions public in the forum, you can email your choice(s) to [email protected]

Nominations must include:
1) a link to the WS product page
2) a copy of the recipe exactly as stated by the WS
3) the retail selling price by the WS
3) a brief description why the design deserves this 'honor'

Feel free to post the info here in the thread, too.

We'll collect the nominations and put them on the Real Florist Blog for an open vote.

The deadline for submission is Monday, June 6. Only one nomination per design, so get those gross offenders in early. Please feel free to submit more than one nominee.

Voting will be held June 10 - 18.

The nominator whose submission receives the most votes will earn a fabulous (yet-to-be-determined) prize.

 

[anytimeflowers]

OH-HO ~ LOVE IT. Great idea.

Here is my submission. It's a particular beef with me.

http://www.ftd.com/5970/catalog/product.epl?product_id=N6-4305&index_id=

Here is the recipe - the highlights are mine.

Nothing speaks of love so much as a bouquet of beautiful long stem red roses. Arranged with seeded eucalyptus in a classic glass vase, this bouquet is a gift to her heart from yours.
Good rose bouquet includes 12 stems.
Approximately 18"H x 12"W.
Better rose bouquet includes 18 stems.
Approximately 19"H x 16"W.
Best rose bouquet includes 24 stems.
Approximately 20"H x 18"W.

The retail selling price is $74.99 so that does not hurt the florist, even when they really DO use long stems. Please note, the BEST is 24 roses, at 20 INCHES.

I have a terrible beef with these places trying to call pathetic 40cm roses premium, long-stemmed. They are trying to re-educate the consumer to accept a much lower standard. (pun intended)

 

[Tuberose]

I rejected this one every time, knew we couldn't fill it for that, never mind what we lose after Tf gets off the top.. It's the first one that came to mind.

http://www.teleflora.com/flowers/bouquet/enchanted-cottage-372757p.asp

T50-1A
Enchanted Cottage

recipe:
4 white roses
2 stems white spray roses
3 lavender stock
1 stem lavender wax
1/2 stem pitta negra
1/2 yard purple ribbon
1 8" rose vase

Std $49.95 includes delivery. I came up with $58.70 to fill this and deliver it. Looks like the photo also includes a collar of salal, which is not in the recipe.

 

[David]

I would fill both those orders. Fortunately I am in a very competitive wholesale market, buy well and have large inventory. As I read this discussion and others the issue is the wire service telling members how many stems to use and the price to charge. Then giving the second choice to fill to value. So shops take out there delivery. I bet most are more then the 7.00 Teleflora supposedly includes. Then labor and cost of flowers. For many shops they can not duplicate the picture shown for the price given. So they fill smaller or with less expensive flowers. The other issue is a majority of shops do not have the inventory of all the different kinds of flowers shown on all the wire service web sites. Lastly to many containers that florist do not have. Even when codified florist run out many do not re order. With the ease of pictures and Skype that will put more pressure on the industry to deliver what is shown.

 

[Sabrinas]

http://www.teleflora.com/flowers/bouquet/how-sweet-it-is-372559p.asp

How Sweet It Is TF46-1a
TF price $34.95 - $7.00 delivery leaves $27.95

I can't look up the recipe right now since I can't remember my myteleflora.com log in info.

But looking at the picture it is obvious that it can not be duplicated for that price and of course the delivery fee is out of date. I charge $45 aytime TF sends this order to us, but not much longer since we will soon be out........!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[CHR]

Sabrinas -

Would love to know how the 'Deluxe' version of 'How Sweet it Is' has less stems in the vase than the 'Standard' version.

 

[anytimeflowers]

I just couldn't resist.

Here is another one.

The FTD Pick-Me-Up.

http://www.ftd.com/same-day-deliver...ry/product-samedaydelivery-flowersplants/pic/

The FTD® Pick-Me-Up® Bouquet is a beautifully bright and colorful way to spread sunshine and cheer. Assorted roses and gerbera daisies in their most brillliant hues create a stunning bouquet accented with yellow solidago and assorted greens. Arriving in a gold banded designer clear glass vase, this bouquet is a sweet way to light up their life.
GOOD bouquet includes 9 stems.
Approximately 16"H x 11"W.
BETTER bouquet includes 14 stems.
Approximately 17"H x 13"W.
BEST bouquet includes 19 stems. BEST is offered at $69.99
Approximately 18"H x 14"W.

The best calls for 19 stems. It's just roses and gerbs, both of which retail for $3.50 each in my store. Add the vase, labor, foliage, filler, ribbon, packaging, and my lowest delivery of $8.00 and it comes to 84.50 but their price is $69.99. That's $15 down the drain before you even start paying for the fees. There is no chance at substitution when each flower is a single stem and the count is given.

 

[lori042499]

how sweet it is recipe

2 each roses, 40cm, light orange
1 stem roses, spray, orange
3 each carnations, hot pink
1 stem carnations, miniature, red
1 stem asters, matsumoto, hot pink
1/2 stem bupleurum
1/4 stem pitta negra
1 each 5" ginger vase, syndicate sales, no. C950


4 each roses, 40cm, light orange
1 stem roses, spray, orange
4 each carnations, hot pink
2 stems carnations, miniature, red
1 stem asters, matsumoto, hot pink
1/2 stem bupleurum
1/2 stem pitta negra
1 each 6 1/4" ginger vase, syndicate sales, no. C951

 

[lori042499]

This is mine it is sold on TF.com as the premium at 59.99 with recipe

6 each roses, 40cm, pink
2 stems roses, spray, pink
3 stems carnations, miniature, pink
4 stems chrysanthemums, button spray, white
1 stem limonium, lavender
1/2 stem pittosporum, green
1 each 7" spring garden vase, syndicate sales, no. C952
1/2 yard #9 single-face satin ribbon, pink, offray


but actually shows the picture of standard at 39.95

recipe:
3 each roses, 40cm, pink
1 stem roses, spray, pink
2 stems carnations, miniature, pink
3 stems chrysanthemums, button spray, white
1/2 stem limonium, lavender
1/2 stem pittosporum, green
1 each 7" spring garden vase, syndicate sales, no. C952
1/2 yard #9 single-face satin ribbon, pink, offray


my beef with this arrangement is that with the vase used you cannot make it look the way it does in the picture..I had gotten so many complaints on this item, I had to remove it from my webpage...in order to get the "look" that the consumer was after, the mini carns and poms needed to be broken off the main stem and stuck into a 1/4 inch of water or placed into the arrangement without going into the vase at all.....now I would never do this, but I'm just saying it was a huge problem with people when it didn't look like it does in the picture for many people...it looks to greened at the neck of the vase because of the shape of the vase..I won't even talk about the price...some could do it some can't...that all depends on your particular store..this is purely from a design standpoint.

 

[sandytf]

We aren't with any wire service so I can't compare recipes. However, this one doesn't need any other recipe than what you can see. The FTD "Breathless Luxury" has several issues.
Price: 100 long stemmed roses for $299.99. Designed. In a vase (specialty!). Delivered.
Design: There is no way you could get that kind of dome on the roses using 100 24" (60 cm) roses. There is also no way the stems would look that way in the vase. Very deceptive.
http://www.ftd.com/breathless-luxur...um-long-stemmed-roses-vase-included-prd/rp84/

 

[sandytf]

I just couldn't resist.

Here is another one.

The FTD Pick-Me-Up.

http://www.ftd.com/same-day-deliver...ry/product-samedaydelivery-flowersplants/pic/

The FTD® Pick-Me-Up® Bouquet is a beautifully bright and colorful way to spread sunshine and cheer. Assorted roses and gerbera daisies in their most brillliant hues create a stunning bouquet accented with yellow solidago and assorted greens. Arriving in a gold banded designer clear glass vase, this bouquet is a sweet way to light up their life.
GOOD bouquet includes 9 stems.
Approximately 16"H x 11"W.
BETTER bouquet includes 14 stems.
Approximately 17"H x 13"W.
BEST bouquet includes 19 stems. BEST is offered at $69.99
Approximately 18"H x 14"W.

The best calls for 19 stems. It's just roses and gerbs, both of which retail for $3.50 each in my store. Add the vase, labor, foliage, filler, ribbon, packaging, and my lowest delivery of $8.00 and it comes to 84.50 but their price is $69.99. That's $15 down the drain before you even start paying for the fees. There is no chance at substitution when each flower is a single stem and the count is given.

We could easily do that arrangement in the price range given. Just goes to show you how it varies from florist to florist.