Nothing else that I can add Kevin!
All of them ARE WHAT THEY ARE and THEY BEE WHAT THEY BEE and I've said all of this a hundred times before.
They are all FORE PROFIT COMPANIES who USE THEIR FLORIST MEMBERS as a MEANS TO THEIR END, and not to the mutual benefit of their filler florists!
Their BUSINESS MODEL is DEAD because it is OUTDATED and OUTMODED!
Their failure to address the needs of their own florist members in favor of the OGs, dOGs, non-local phonies, 800 florals, and floral dot.cons, in effect, sealed their fate which will lead to their own demise.
While all of them may never GO AWAY COMPLETELY, their members will, and they will try to reinvent themselves, but suffice it to say that, they will be nothing like their former selves.
The majority of REAL FLORISTS (mostly Mom and Pop hard working slobs like me) can no longer afford to subsidize any WS company which cannot return a positive net profit on their spreadsheet.
Inevitably, those florists, and once their WS camel has broken their backs, have no other choice, but to divest themselves of that liability.
Many shops have already figured this reality out for themselves, and so, THEY BEE GONE. Other shops (fence sitters) have taken the WAIT & SEE attitude, hoping that things will change, and Santa Clause will come to their Town soon.
And the last category are, and probably will always be, shops who have no clue and will always be stuck on stupid.
YES, there was once upon a time, when WSs were a REAL FLORIST'S PARTNER and they actually had the ability to make their member shop's cash registers ring with customer 100% sales.
Advertising for the FLORISTS (not their own dot.cons), Everyday and Holiday Keepsake containers which they advertised to the consumers thus creating consumer demand which resulted in their member's ability to sell those products at a full 100% to their own customers.
In their world of today, the CHACKA containers are sold to their members at a full 100%, only to be sold through their networks at a discount of 29% plus nothing for the florist's delivery service.
As I pointed out, and when those shops add in their annual dues and fees and convert that to a percentage, the additional incoming WS order acquisition charge comes to another 16% for a total net payment to their filler florists of fifty-four cents (54%) on their dollar.
That's been their PONZI SCHEME all along, but their florists can no longer survive on this CHUMP CHANGE SCENARIO.
As to Field Reps returning your call? They don't want to since, they too are tired of having to field your questions and address your problems.
Fact is that, they have no answer nor any solution, other than to parrot the company mantra, which they already know, is an effort in futility.
It's not their fault! They are just hard working slobs (like us) who need their paychecks at the end of every week and in order to support themselves and their family.
They DOO what THEY HAVE TO DOO and in order to SURVIVE!
And on that note, many of us should take our CUE from them as well!
