In reading some of the comments on this board about the pros's and con's of order gathering and direct shippers I got to thinking.....
The reality is that whether you like it or not OG's and direct shippers are here to stay, the internet is here to stay, and last but not least business is not always fair. The bottom line in business is generally that those that adapt to changes in the market place tend to have a better chance of surviving long term than those that become indignant about the changes and cling to "what used to be or should be".
The individual florist can complain all they want about order gatherers or direct shippers, but in both cases individuals found a niche in the market and filled it, and in some cases did so very well and with great financial success (e.g. 1-800 Flowers, Proflowers). Usually in business people that do this are praised by their peers, and actually looked up to as being savvy business people. However in the flower industry the vast majority of people would prefer to tear these companies down with accusations of "not playing fair".
It's a strange business we choose to make our living in....
I think you are getting the issues a little clouded here. I think that what the companies mentioned have done a fantastic job, and have done very well for their investors. The (North) American dream is exactly that. Take an existing thing and improve or spin it for profit. (Grower Direct did that a long time ago too, and is a very respected florist's franchise)
Some here are choosing to tackle them on their territory, others are not. I think it depends on where we all are in the age and depth of our customer base to decide where we need to focus.
Back to the matter at hand...
We are not talking about boxed flowers here. We are discussing deceptive order gatherers. Are you happy that your stores have to fill orders at much lower profit due to fake locations and skimming? Or do you care, and it is just volume of flower sales overall that you are looking for?
While it sells more flowers and may just be what keeps some shops open, there many here who don't have a network of florists under FTD or any other, and we do just fine or better than some because we market ourselves, and don't rely on wire orders for survival.
That being said, Doug's network of florists using FTD is a great example of a potential success story for FTD (All other issues aside on this one). The stores can pump out flowers at potentially lower margins, but supporting each other, can potentially be very successful, and maintain or improve their profitability. A Grower Direct store will send to another Grower Direct store, through the system, and most wire orders in Canada (that I see) originate in Canada anyway. In this way they support each other, and we have heard success stories on FC about florists that thrive with the WS through volume of sales etc.
And on the "not fair" thing. Like I said, if PF and others can do it, all the power to them, I agree, why complain about changes in the industry. But, some of us focus heavily on internet sales. (Which is why we don't need wire services) And I see getting rid of the dOGs as a way to generate more business for me and support my local economy.
My emotion gives me passion to change this, but it is good business sense that drives my emotion.
There is no denying that they are breaking laws/rules/ethics. We either join them, or fight them, or remain indifferent. I choose to fight them. The ones who choose to turn a blind eye, (It's not bad, it's not happening... etc) or misplace their trust in the wire services for guidance and support will not be around in the long run. JMHO.
