Proflowers VD 09, today

[BOSS]

All of you that are filling the Proflowers orders today, sent through TF I believe...should be sending an ASK P(mo$19.95) or more.

Yes, Proflowers is still claiming they can get them delivered today, and they have a $19.95 delivery surcharge for delivery today on top of their other fees. If your making the delivery, you should be getting the $$$...

I'm just say'n!

 

[TOTO]

Option 2

Or, you could simply REJECT their orders and be a PART OF THE SOLUTION to THEIR PROBLEM!

After all, why would any REAL FLORIST choose to be a subcontracted vendor for a competitor who UNDERSELLS the product while EXLUDING THEM from the profit picture 99.99% of the year?

MAKE THEM LOOK GOOD with orders cloaked through FROM YOU?

NAW, I DON'T THINK SO! FU! Since PRO touts "FRESHER THAN FROM A FLORIST", let them DELIVER ALL OF IT THEMSELVES TODAY!

Make YOURSELVES LOOK BETTER THAN THEM and GET PAID FOR IT in REAL 100%DOLLARS versus WS CHUMP CHANGE SMOKE & MIRROR WAMPUM.

 

[bloomz]

They come from From You Flowers, right?

Almost makes me wish I did have a Dove just so I could mess with them

 

[Rhonda]

Headquarters called wanted the Me & You - red vase with hot pink spray roses and bluperum - stopped them at the red vase.
Looked up the design online, states 4 stems spray roses...NOT ....

 

[Joe Mioux]

have not gotten any of those, but I did get a FTD.com order for 3 dozen roses for $252.77

joe

 

[HeatherTuckey]

34 FYF orders received today, averaging $77.33, most seemed to be about $20 over tel SR. Dozen LS - $89.99 - a TF WEB that we had been getting for $50, we'd get for $60 or $70. Our computer took out $20 del charge (or more) all day and we give to a contract driver to deliver for $4 to $7 (most FYF areas are $7).

 

[bloomz]

But but but - that can't be right Heather - I thought all they sent was $29.95 junk orders?

 

[jamese]

Just saying here in Florida, we got NO del, and each order was at SRP or less onm FYF...glad they are better in other areas!
I was just baffled by the $$$$ amounts.

 

[HeatherTuckey]

But but but - that can't be right Heather - I thought all they sent was $29.95 junk orders?

I do tell the truth.. honest.

They are much cheaper earlier in the week... they pull more and more cheapos from the web the closer it gets to VD, b/c they know there is no way they can wire them out. If I had my way, my min would be $50. My brother wants to keep it at $40. I still refuse some unprofitable ones - more so everyday b/c they are cheaper and I have less available delivery staff. At holidays, I have no problem with contract drivers. I'll pay them $7 or 80% of my special delivery charge.

 

[HeatherTuckey]

Just saying here in Florida, we got NO del, and each order was at SRP or less onm FYF...glad they are better in other areas!
I was just baffled by the $$$$ amounts.

Increase your minimum to $40 or $50.

Perhaps you are in an area where all the other Tel (dove) florists have higher minimums - so their RTI system always selects you (as the only servicing dove shop for that zip for that price). Or they manually select you regardless of your minimum.

 

[jamese]

Thanks Heather, I am a freelancer now...I was just offering an observance, from your post.
Glad it worked for you, Happy Valentines.

 

[Joe Mioux]

have not gotten any of those, but I did get a FTD.com order for 3 dozen roses for $252.77

joe

Full Disclosure: After I typed my original post.

this order was canceled by FTD, then resent, then I received a phone call from FTD's credit card dept, saying do not fill this order. While I was on the phone, I received the second cancellation.

I told the woman, I need $75 for labor. We had the arrangement completed and my business incurred a labor cost.

If you think I argue with some of you, you should hear some of the discussions I have with the WS's.

I reminded the FTD person that they are the ones that implemented the penalty system for rejected orders and that we work really hard to fill their orders in a timely manner. I told her we worked on good faith and wanted to please their customer.

The low point hit when I told this person that they are no better than Pro Flowers.

She actually was hurt by that comment. I reminded her that HAD THEY DROPPED SHIPPED THIS ARRANGEMENT THEY WOULD BE OUT THE ENTIRE AMOUNT OF MONEY!

All I was asking for was fair compensation for my staff's time, which was 30 pct labor of the total order.

She asked if I would take a $20 credit.

Being the fair person that I am.... I said Yes.

joe

 

[RC in Dayton and Cincinnati]

34 FYF orders received today, averaging $77.33, most seemed to be about $20 over tel SR. Dozen LS - $89.99 - a TF WEB that we had been getting for $50, we'd get for $60 or $70. Our computer took out $20 del charge (or more) all day and we give to a contract driver to deliver for $4 to $7 (most FYF areas are $7).

Heather,

That $77.33 equates to about $46 in real money, including delivery.

Receiving thirty four wire orders on Valentine's Day can't be considered filling excess capacity so how can those orders be profitable?

It's troubling when the flower industry is talking about filling wire orders on a day when they should be at capacity taking care of their own customers. I fear many florists are quickly losing control of their own business.

RC

 

[santosdesigns]

You are sooooooooo right!!!

 

[Seasonals]

They come from From You Flowers, right?

Does Pro Flowers send using the name From You Flowers, Old Saybrook CT?

 

[Joe Mioux]

Heather,

That $77.33 equates to about $46 in real money, including delivery.

Receiving thirty four wire orders on Valentine's Day can't be considered filling excess capacity so how can those orders be profitable?

It's troubling when the flower industry is talking about filling wire orders on a day when they should be at capacity taking care of their own customers. I fear many florists are quickly losing control of their own business.

RC

Doesn't that depend on the extra design help?

34 orders with say 8-10 designers over an 8 hour period still doesn't seem overly taxing to the designer.

also, not all of those orders may have been cut work, they could have been balloons, plush, plants etc that were already made up.

We all get caught up in the cut flower work with WS business but often the incoming orders are for plants, silks or something else.

joe

 

[avenuegardensflorist]

...



.....just left our local harris teeter grocery store. The cooler was FULL of $65 arrangements, roses etc. Full. Not sold. 10:30pm the 14th.!
Did not see any of the $20 loss leader arrangements or wrapped cheap roses however.


My first reaction is being happy they were not sold out. Sure our sales were down but we did ok based on the sentiment. But after thinking about the grocery store still having LOTS of inventory I was thinking people are JUST NOT spending on flowers. 2-3 years ago they would have been sold out, just like us!


I think things really are tough.



A company delivering flowers in a cardboard box and expecting the recipient to learn designing on the fly cannot be good for flower demand/image.

 

[RC in Dayton and Cincinnati]

Doesn't that depend on the extra design help?

34 orders with say 8-10 designers over an 8 hour period still doesn't seem overly taxing to the designer.

also, not all of those orders may have been cut work, they could have been balloons, plush, plants etc that were already made up.

We all get caught up in the cut flower work with WS business but often the incoming orders are for plants, silks or something else.

joe

Maybe, and maybe pigs can fly.

 

[Joe Mioux]

Maybe, and maybe pigs can fly.

and maybe, those orders could be filled with cut arrangements that were pre-made earlier in the week.

 

[HeatherTuckey]

and maybe, those orders could be filled with cut arrangements that were pre-made earlier in the week.

You hit tha nail on the head, Joe. We predict what will sell, for our own customers, and also wire in. Two of the TF Web's on our collection/menu were two that we thought would be good FU flower sellers, which they were. We made 800 arr's/vases/rose arr's last Sat & Sun. We fill the orders two days ahead all week. As we use up what we have pre-produced, we continue to make in rounds of 12 or 24 depending on the demand... some times we split a round - 6 of this "TF Web" and 6 of this other "TF Web". By the time they drastically reduce the inexpensive selections from the Web (2/13), 80% of the orders are one of 10 items (weather they are a local order OR a wire in). Two designers who "pull" or "manipulate" (add to a preproduced arr, to accomodate the decription). We usually only have two designers on "customs" (made from scratch), and 1-2 still doing "rounds" of the pre-produced (backstock) of the top sellers. On 2/12-2/14 those designers on "rounds" are also doing "rounds" of wrapped mixed bouquets and wrapped roses for the VD store sales - 12-15 at a time, all the same recipe.

If at ANYTIME the service of my local customers is being compromised, I would not hesitate to suspend my dove. You never stop learning from your mistakes. I have let the rush of VD overpower us and the service to our store customers was very poor (in terms of fresh stock and timely service). One year even my phone customers were going to voice mail and the same day deliveries could NOT be filled within 1 hr. I will not let that happen again. Without the right preparation and staffing, keeping up with the volume can lead to chaos, and not getting the orders taken, filled, on a truck and delivered in a reasonable amount of time. This still might happen on a weekday VD, but I doubt it will happen a year with a Sat or Sun VD.

On a weekday VD, we usually have a menu of 8 or so items on 2/14. There are no exceptions. Every same day delivery or call ahead pick up order, must be one of those 8 items, that are already made in my cooler. Otherwise, they can come in the store and get something more custom made while they wait. If the dove is not suspended, and order that can't be pulled from backstock is refused.