We tried for an hour or so to locate a shop in Maine to accept an order for a $200 plant in a nicer container. One shop said they had a plant but did not want to sell it???? Finally found someone! Why was that so difficult?
tried to send a $200 order to Maine
- Thread starter marysunshine
- Start date
Flowermomma
Well-Known Member
well i won't have a 200 dollar plant in the store.. and not sure IF i got one (IF i could find one on very short notice) IF i could lift it!
But if you would have called me I won't have turned it down flat, I would have said give me 30 mins while i make some calls.... I would have tried my hardest to find a plant!
But if you would have called me I won't have turned it down flat, I would have said give me 30 mins while i make some calls.... I would have tried my hardest to find a plant!
lori042499
Well-Known Member
- May 3, 2006
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Maine does not have wholesalers at the ready in many locations...so a 200 plant would be difficult..to be honest with you a 200.00 plant would be difficult for me and I am 8 miles from the boston market...they just don't carry those kinds of plants readily anymore...they are a special order..my store isn't even big enough to keep a 200.00 plant in stock, the ceilings are too short..
I like to make european gardens for that price range with orchids and other 6" plants. It's still a large container but nothing unmanageable. We usually don't have anything larger than a 10" floor plant in stock.
Our customer did want a floor plant rather than a garden. We did want the $200 to include a nicer container, so a larger plant in a $75.00 container would have worked. I guess we were just surprised that our request would be that difficult to fill. thanks for the responses.
joanne
New Member
Here's one even better. Sent 4 orders to shop in hamilton (family requested them) Florist calls and says I cant do that basket arr for 70.00 i need 91.00 , it had 3 sunflowers, 2 delp , brown bear and daisys and statis. So the new owner says cancel them all , we will make here and deliver to the funeral home. And some florists wonder why they cant make a go of things. They where given 800.00 fr 4 pieces!!! We called the family and told them we where going to do them and deliver to the funeral home our selves.
Joanne
Semi Retired lol
Joanne
Semi Retired lol
BOSS
FlowerChat Administrator
I could do it... have 4 in stock... 2 Bird of Paradise in 14" clays... and a couple 5-4-3-2-1 Dracena ($125 retail) and a pot...
Mikey the Flower Guy
It's a GREAT DAY to live, and love!
- Nov 10, 2002
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Mikey the Flower Guy
It's a GREAT DAY to live, and love!
- Nov 10, 2002
- 9,206
- 3,792
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- State / Prov
- Ontario
what do you "expect" they are "used" to doing baskets for $45.00!!....
in reality, shops in urban areas almost always have these sorts of products on hand, BUT, a great part of our North America is comprised of areas that are spread out, with infrequent access to product,and MOST shops are VERY conscious of sending our undervalued product, hence, this does NOT surprise me....
Big shops in big cities do understand the problems we have in rural America. I get flowers 3 or 4 times a week and plants even less. I keep 8 inch plants on hand and try to keep a couple of nice pots on hand also. The weight thing is another factor too, I'm by myself and I know there is no way I could lift something that big. Sometiems you have to explain things to your customers that some areas do now have things on hand and can you give them a day or two,unless its a funeral. Sometimes common sense has to take over. My saying is "book smart street stupid" its fits alot of things in this life.
anytimeflowers
Linda
This is what I would have sent. All it takes is a little ingenuity. I would go to my nearest big box. Buy a plant and a container and then dress it. I would probably add some raffia or honeysuckle vine through the handles.
Big box store is 30 miles away and the last time I was there the plants were almost dead. It's not easy out here in rural America but we try as hard as we can to make everyone happy just doesn't always work.
anytimeflowers
Linda
Okay, maybe not a big box. I know you've been through some flooding ~ did it flood?. Anyway, I went to your town's chamber of commerce. I see there is a garden center. If it's open, why not go and select some things there?
My whole point is that with a little ingenuity and creativity, it can certainly be done. I think we florists forget sometimes that we can create ANYTHING we want to.
Garden center does not handle green plants for indoors.
We didn't get any water in the town but we were all told to move to higher ground whihch we did really made a mess of the town. Alot of the business are just now moving back into town. I'm waiting to remodel a building so I will be on higher ground from now on. I'm working out of my 2 car garage at home right now the move to the new shop can't come soon enough.
We didn't get any water in the town but we were all told to move to higher ground whihch we did really made a mess of the town. Alot of the business are just now moving back into town. I'm waiting to remodel a building so I will be on higher ground from now on. I'm working out of my 2 car garage at home right now the move to the new shop can't come soon enough.
joanne
New Member
It wasn'r my call Mikey , they had been into this shop on Saturday as they know her quite well . The death was a shock to them and nerves where raw when they where in. So Monday am they came into the shop as they live here in town. But to turn down 800.00 in orders is beyond me. But its ok as they are marked as a dont use shop now , ticked me off big time . And florist wonder why they dont get any business , the public isnt stupid anymore. I mean stuffed bear 3 sunflowers 2 delp 2 stems white daisy and statice come on 91.00 + delivery ..... Not gonna happen!!!!!
Rhonda
Well-Known Member
Where in Maine??? That is alot of country here.. and NO, I wouldn't have been able to fill that order and a great many of our flower shops in towns (aside from Portland ME, Bangor ME, Augusta ME which have close wholesalers for plants) only have plants delivered to them once/twice maybe per month.
This is a very rural state and we can't just run to the big boxes on the same day for a plant. Just an FYI, I would have had to travel 78 miles one way to get to a big box store, take a chance they had something - other than that, the closest plant wholesaler is 2 hours (1 way) away from me.
Too bad you couldn't have given them at least a day to try... (probably would have taken more).
Need to know who to call in Maine?? I'm the Exec. Secretary Treasurer for the Maine Florists' Association....
This is a very rural state and we can't just run to the big boxes on the same day for a plant. Just an FYI, I would have had to travel 78 miles one way to get to a big box store, take a chance they had something - other than that, the closest plant wholesaler is 2 hours (1 way) away from me.
Too bad you couldn't have given them at least a day to try... (probably would have taken more).
Need to know who to call in Maine?? I'm the Exec. Secretary Treasurer for the Maine Florists' Association....
Thanks, Rhonda and everyone for the responses. we will keep in mind that rural means different things in different parts of the country. Even in the rural areas here in middle Tn we stil have the big box stores, etc. We are very fortunate for many things, including customers that give us $200.00 orders instead of going on the internet and sening their order to a OG!
I had a shop in rural Missouri for many years and I would have found a way to fill the order. What about putting 2 or 3 big green plants in one container that were all alike? Then it wouldn't be a dish garden, but, a beautiful pot with 3 like greenplants. They probably would never know that they weren't planted like that to start with.
I think you may be onto something.... sounds like you know how to turn problems into opportunities!
Filling a 200.00 specimen plant order would be difficult for most stores I would think. As I understand it, the order was for a single plant......not a grouping or collection of plants. When you attempted to call this out, was the family still in the store? This is one key to this......If they were still in store, then you could have talked to the florist and been able to come up with some alternatives......with them being there to approve. When I have an unusual type of outgoing order, I try and call it on the phone and not through a machine like mercury or dove....while the customer is there in store, that way, If there is a problem, then I can let them know right away and come up with a solution. The second key to this is something that a lot of florists, in particular the OG's overlook, and that is a second or third choice alternative.
Yes, it can take a little more time to go that route while the customer is in store......especially if you have to try more than one shop.......but in my experience, I have found that they appreciate the extra touch and consider it better than average service, which is increasingly rare today and is perhaps our last real bastion of strength......bend-over-backwards customer service.
Yes, it can take a little more time to go that route while the customer is in store......especially if you have to try more than one shop.......but in my experience, I have found that they appreciate the extra touch and consider it better than average service, which is increasingly rare today and is perhaps our last real bastion of strength......bend-over-backwards customer service.