The "new" FTD Birthday design

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Rhonda

Rhonda

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Nov 1, 2002
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Millinocket
www.millinocketflorist.com
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Maine
http://www.ftd.com/home/catalog/product.epl?product_id=BB&index_id=product_samedaydelivery

I just have to say this is one of the poorest, sad, birthday designs that anyone could have come up with. Considering that Birthday must certainly be one of the highest looked up designs on a web site, that FTD would use this one is beyond my belief. There are many more useful and day to day flowers to be found in almost every shop in the nation than hydrangea and multi colored gerberas. With longevity a key to customer satisfaction, I don't see either of these choices as "no-brainer". Personally, I would probably NEVER be able to fill that order even "as close as possible" for same day delivery and probably would NEVER fill it plain and simple as I would have to purchase at least 5 stems of hydrangea (not available here through our wholesalers except for maybe June) to use one (I think that is what is shows) and then purchase at least 2 bunches of mini gerbs to get colors (with 10 to a bunch sometimes 5 if we're lucky). They rarely carry large gerbs on the trucks-usually just on Weds.
Am I wrong in this thinking?
Remember, small town, rural shop with wholesale trucks that come to us Monday, Weds, & Friday.
 
Rhonda... even in the city where wholesalers can abound... this piece is ugleeeeeee!

V
 
I agree I don’t think this was a wise choice for FTD. In most markets florist will do the second choice of similar arrangement in the same container. On a nation wide arrangement they should show flowers that are readily available thought the country. Besides the high cost of there containers the flower choice may lead florists not to purchase the containers. While were on the subject do you think most florist would have this-
http://www.ftd.com/home/catalog/pro...tsellers&parent_index=product_samedaydelivery
Price doesn’t seem correct on this one
http://www.ftd.com/home/catalog/pro...tsellers&parent_index=product_samedaydelivery
 
One of the good things about that FTD B-day arr is that the container can easily be made using a coffee can, and colored electrical tape!;) Very glad we're out of there for good ..... now only one more to go.

tracy
 
Tracypieface said:
One of the good things about that FTD B-day arr is that the container can easily be made using a coffee can, and colored electrical tape!;) Very glad we're out of there for good ..... now only one more to go.

tracy
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ROTFLMAO!!! Oh my gosh I had forgotten about that Tracy. Alana made one of those in grade 1 or 2. Of course I thought it was gorgeous. :)

V
 
Victoria said:
Alana made one of those in grade 1 or 2.
Click to expand...
I know you still have that, proud mama that you are...... Now it's back in fashion! Just fill it up with hydrangea and gerbers and you're all set.
tracy
 
Tracypieface said:
I know you still have that, proud mama that you are...... Now it's back in fashion! Just fill it up with hydrangea and gerbers and you're all set.
tracy
Click to expand...

... and the God's eye and the paper angel and the wooden spoon and the stained glass jar (tissue paper) and and armless, legless santa... I wonder, should I call FTD to see if they'd like to create an arrangement around these "Collectors" items. ;) I have lots more!!!

V
 
but they love it..

I also think the FTD Birthday Bouquet is the not the prettiest but we got some of the containers and our customers love it.. it is the fresh, new look, the not-arranged style that all the magazines a showing, very trendy. I first thought the new line was ugly, but the response it very good. I think the customers are tired of ww baskets, horns and blowers-
cheesy accessories, carns, daisies and statice.
I dont care for the hydrangas, I have already had 2 complaints on the hydrangas fading fast! gerbs seem to be holding fine.
When I get an order for the FTD BD bqt we fill with gerbs and green mums. statice and a a style round and short.
The new line of FTD products are very different I dont alike alot of them and ordered just the ones I did like but customers are changing and so are styles- I choose to change with them and and learn from them.
Kerrie
 
David, again on the lisianthus-we wouldn't have them. What we get are usually spot rotted so you're getting one bloom per stem and our cost on Lisianthus is usually $13.50-15.50/bu
The Stock-had to buy three bunches at $9.50bu/10 to produce that. Nope, Stock doesn't last that long to make it worth buying for us.
And those wholesale prices don't take into account the fuel surcharges/del charges our trucks are charging us either.
Glad I'm in an old fashioned town I guess. The older people like the baskets with long lasting alstro, minis, spray daisies/poms but we do have some who do appreciate the lavish long stemmed vases with premium flowers but 9 out of 10 local orders, call for long lasting over premium. Incoming orders for delivery intown-mostly premium flowers- we have far more local orders so therefore our purchasing does tend heavier on their wants keeping some premium or novelty flowers in stock for those orders coming in.
Except of course, holidays and sympathy work.
 
Looks like FTD is setting up members to fail and have another excuse to drop ship - especially the hydrangea and stock.
 
Rhonda,

I truly do sympathize with the difficulties you and other small town shops face in getting flowers. But is the alternative for FTD / TF / BL to limit their design catalogues to only flowers that small town shops receive on a regular basis? That would be a pretty limited selection guide.

The new design isn't my fave - neither was the old one. At least the new one has less tacky stuff in it. As Kerrie said, the customers like it ... who are we to argue?

Ryan
 
Not defending the design here, since I do not have the container...but...

We do stock, Hydrangia on a regular weekly standing order, cost is under 2 bucks and honestly they last 12-14 days...stock for 5-6 bucks, lasts a week easily... Esmeralda Lizzi I'm testing has been on the coffee table for 3 weeks, and is just now showing signs of heading south....Gerbs...same thing....

Getting the Hydrangia and Stock from Flower Transfer direct outa Miami, Gerbs are Canadian, Lizzi from DWF....or anywhere you can get Esmeralda....

Like Ryan, I think if the consumer likes the design, who am I to argue...they hold the coin....it's an updated design more in step with current trends....

The days of selling only Pomps, Carns and every day flowers are gone, our "standard" blloms have migrated to Hydrangia, Gerbs, and the like and the customers like it that way....
 
Birthday container

I agree with Boss. We use hydrangeas on a regular basis every day. In my opinion, it is important to only use them in water and not insert them in oasis. I always soak the heads upside down for about 30 minutes or more before I use them in arrangements. That seems to hydrate them better.

An interesting note about gerbera and hydrangeas: A few weeks ago, I did the wedding reception for Bret Hull ( the Stars Hockey player). I designed 150 arrangements in glass containers of different sizes and flowers. There were no two alike, but, had a similar overall feel. As you know, I had to use a multitude of different flowers to accomplish this....from carnations, to orchids, poms, roses, kangaroo paws etc.

I saw the bride and her Mother a few days ago and asked them what they did with all the arrangements and they said they devided them between three in the family. They went on to say, that the ones with hydrangeas and gerbera were still pretty and lasted longer than any other flower there.

Personally, I still do like carnations and poms, but, our customers are liking these other flowers better and whatever we are dong seems to make them last. Also, I always use "quick dip" on gerberas and hydrangeas. The customers seem to be more educated to new varieties.
Carol Bice
 
I love the flowers... I hate the design and the container. :)

V
 
Ryan,
Like Rhonda, as one of the small town florists who grossly out number large 'town' florists we can get any thing you can get you can get - only the next day! Granted, I won't pay Hofland or Bayview to ship me a box of a bunch of Hydrangea because it would cost me and minimum of 50.00 (actually I think now 75.00) so it would not be worth it. I think a better choice could have been made in it's place.

Speaking only for myself, we carry roses, carnation, mc, daisies, cremones, asiatic and oriental lilies, lizi, bells of ireland, gerbera, aggies, delph, snaps, liatris, hypericum, asters, sunflowers, limo, statice, much hated BB, glads, wax, + about 10 kinds of greens every week AND another 8 - 12 varieties of seasonal flowers but Hydrangea hasn't been one of them, maybe it will be!

Out of the 20,000 florists or whatever left in FDS (we're NOT one of them) how many of those small town florists will carry hydrangea? The Birthday (arrangement) should be an arrangement that any member could receive an order for pretty much any day and have a high chance to fill and this is not. When FDS gets lots of complaints that probably 80% of orders for that item cannot be filled including a hydrangea what will they do? Chastize members and use it as another reason to drop ship a do it yourself kit?

FTD is NOT your friend if you are a florist!!! Get used to it... IMHO, of course!
 
I think FTD is WAY more informed on what's new and hot then the typical vase-stuffing member florist, and has done tons of market research to find what appeals to its primary demographic nationwide. Any member florist would be foolish to think that they know more about what is selling then FTD.

Now, perhaps in your small neck of the woods this thing is too stylish, but remember they are going after upper-educated corporate types who live and breathe internet, and these folks probably like this sort of magazine-design style very much.

JMO!
 
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We have been using babygreen hydrangea all summer. They are available year round I think. I love them. Ususally get them for $1.10. They are smaller heads with lots of wonderful greens..so easy to use and fill up so much space. Ususally last1-2 weeks in arrangments,,even in oasis if it is kept wet.
 
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Just an FYI on what our trucks carry each delivery

Boxed not in water:
poms, daisies, carnations, mini carnations, gyp, leather leaf, tree fern, pitt, one type of eucalyptus either seeded or baby, mini carnations, solidago, heather, monte casino, roses-usually just red or just colors-, alstromeria, limonium, and gyp.
Sometimes: statice, hypericum, lisianthus, mini callas (rarely), dendrobiums, asiatic lily (usually just yellow or pink), oriental lily (usually stargazer or sorbonne), LA Hybrid-usually yelloween or burgundy, sometimes orange, liatrus, snaps, glads, box mixed greens.
On Wednesday-truck with flowers in water: stock, hellenia (right now), sometimes rarely-montbrescia, bourvardia, red & colored california roses, sometimes spray roses (not in water), various colors waxflower, calcaenia heather (in season), iris,larkspur, delphinium, & liatrus, sometimes mini gerb or large gerb (not in water).
Mother's day time, sometimes peonies, lilac, tulip & iris.
So you can see that it is very rare for us to ever have hydrangea available to us. If by chance the wholesaler gets it, whomever or wherever they stop first picks it out of the truck. The same goes with gerbs as they carry very few of them, maybe one full box of large gerbs with at least 5 stops before they get to us. If I have an order, I can try to get them packed for me but they usually come out of water, haven't been hydrated at all, and need processing time. So even 24 hours may not be enough time for us.
The penalty for being 3 hours (1 way) from one wholesaler and 1 hour from the other. And we have tried to get shipments through the post office, last one took 5 days to arrive here, glad it was supplies not fresh (and it was sent first class from the wholesaler 1 hour away).
I do not buy on speculation such as I know there is a funeral service coming on Friday but I will not buy premium flowers without having orders for them before the trucks come on Weds or Friday a.m. I can't afford to eat the money spent on lilies, stock, snaps, etc that I may not have a call for until the next funeral possibly two weeks away. Small Town Rural America!
 
Rhonda, I am in the same boat you are with wholesalers, 3 times a week from bucket trucks, limited selection which is picked over by the time we see the truck. We are not busy enough to do the large amounts required for standing orders. (Have yet to find a receipe to make roses and snaps taste good enough for dinner) Luckily the drivers all have cells now and service usually, so I can call to have them save something IF they have it, but things cost so much more up here that we cannot make the arrangements for what the WS's are listing them for, let alone deliver they 40 miles (not kidding) in to the woods on a two track road. This is another reason we are getting rid of the WS.

Iggy
 
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