Would consumers read this???

[Tom Carlson]

The idea flashed into my mind, put a message on the front page of our website, but I question that it would get read. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Saga of “The Broken Wire Services”
Most of our website features state *Local Delivery Only* for good reason. Orders going through the wire services (FTD, Teleflora, 800Flowers) require up to 40% higher prices. This is because of huge membership and service fees plus non-florist middlemen who are stepping between you, the sender, and the delivering florist. If a florist loses money on filling wire service orders, it is the consumer who is getting ripped off. The only way to stop this carnage is to cut off the wire services’ revenue stream. Fairview Florist does not pay dues to these wire services.

If you live outside our delivery area, you bypassed the wire services when you accessed our website. Congratulations! Always make sure that you are dealing with a Real, Local, Brick & Mortar florist. That is not easy as the first listed companies on the Internet Yellow Pages are middlemen, not florists and largest yellow page advertisers are middlemen, not florists. FTD.com is not a florist nor are all of the FTD members.

Go direct to a Real Florist while being careful in your selection. If you don’t want to take the risk of falling into the hands of a middleman, Fairview will help you either locate a flower shop to fill your order or we will handle your order for you without using a wire service.

FTD once stood for “flowers, service and quality” but that is no longer the case, sad but true.

 

[12BucksFor2Dozon]

Tom,

I absolutely *love* this, and with your permission would like to use it in an area on my web site I lovingly call "Why Wire Services Suck!".

Ok?

 

[Bigted]

Where it goes

I would not put it on the front page. I don't think people want the drama. The issue isn't really higher prices, it's the quality and quantity of flowers you get for your money. They won't understand these issues, and frankly, I doubt if they want to.

I believe that the more exposure this issue gets, the more we risk turning people off to flowers alltogether. Even with some national exposure like 60 minutes or 20-20, I think the overall impact on the industry would be negative. In general, I think people will go somewhere else rather than get involved in some controversy.

By the way, Avante Gardens used to have a pretty good page that explained the price differences. Maybe Cathy could print that.

 

[CHR]

Thanks, Ted. The page is still there. It highlights the consumer benefit of ordering direct from your local florist. (Doesn't everyone want to know 'what's in it for me?')

Want to Save $6.00 - $15.50 on Flowers Today?
Here’s How

Want to send flowers while saving money & time? Order direct from the florist who will deliver your flowers! It’s that easy. Really!

(There's a chart that illustrates the savings on my site, but I can't copy over here.)

How can I tell if I’m ordering from a local florist in the community to which I want my flowers delivered?

Unfortunately, the web and the yellow pages are full of companies posing as local florists. They uses phrases such as ‘serving your city name’ or ‘servicing your city name.’ In some cases, they have your city name on their website or ad but are actually located hundreds if not thousands of miles away. Legitimate local sites will include their physical addresses as well as local phone numbers. On the web, check out their ‘About Us’ sections. Hint: If a site or ad doesn’t contain a local address and local phone number, you can be 99.9% sure it’s not located in the city to which you’re sending your flowers.

How much can I save?

The vast majority of ‘flower broker’ web sites charge from $7.95 to $14.95 ($9.95 on average) for the convenience of transferring your order to a local flower shop. Some even charge an additional surcharge if you want to place your order over the phone! (Not us. We’re happy to talk to you and give you free professional advice!) Ordering a fresh flower arrangement from us or your local full-service florist can save you $6.00 - $15.50.

How to spot the ‘free delivery’ ruse.

Many order brokers show a pricing system quite different from your local flower shop. Their prices shown generally include the item plus a ‘pad’ of $5.00 – $7.50 for delivery by the local flower shop. An additional fee of $7.95 to $14.95, a ‘service fee’, is also charged for the convenience of placing the order through them. It’s not a delivery fee. The local delivering florist, per wire service rules, is absolutely permitted to deduct their local delivery fee from the total order. In reality, unless a company is delivering the flowers, themselves, they cannot claim free delivery – it’s just simply included in the total price. Deceptive? Yes. Illegal? Maybe. Savvy shoppers also often notice that the ‘free delivery’ sites actually cost more than the ones that clearly state their delivery prices.

Need something special?

Your local florist knows what’s in season, knows what’s available and can suggest ideas that can be custom-made, affordably, on short notice. We are not just ‘banks of sales associates’ sitting in front of computer screens. We are real, professionally trained florists.

Hey, doesn’t your shop send flowers to other cities, states and countries, too?

Absolutely! We are members of several professional networks and can have flowers sent virtually anywhere in the world. We offer this convenience for our LOCAL customers who want us to ensure that the flowers they send out-of-area are as thoughtful, prompt and fresh as the ones we deliver locally. Since we network with thousands of florist in the U.S. and internationally and have trained thousands more at our school of floral design, we feel confident that your flower-buying experience with us will be a very satisfying one. Our #1 source of new customers is from referrals by our current customers. We charge $9.95 for out-of-our-delivery-area orders ($6.00 to the delivering florist – otherwise they deduct those dollars from the amount of flowers delivered – and a low $3.95 for service and handling) or $19.95 for international orders.

Butcher, baker, candlestick maker, flower shop?

Ever think the flowers you sent out-of-town seemed less than what your local shop provided for you? Ever think many flower arrangements lack a thoughtful, artistic touch? Ever feel that most of the flower arrangements you see available on the web look the same? Order brokers have had a crushing effect on your local independent retail flower shop. Why? Antiquated network rules require the delivering florists to pay commissions ranging from 27 – 29% of the total value of each order to the selling broker and network! When orders were being transferred simply between professional florists, the commissions earned helped offset the discounts given on orders filled from other florists. Many of these brokers have no real flower shop so they never fill any fresh flower arrangement orders. Your local professional florist is facing challenges daily to absorb these deep discounts while still trying to provide top quality flowers, designers and service. Supporting Local Florists helps ensure you a near-by quality, artistic, thoughtful resource for all your flower needs.

Just realized I need to update the W/O breakout. We now send $7 to the filling florist and retain $2.95.

True to form, it's too wordy. I suspect most readers only look at the chart but that's what illustrates the point.

Tom, I think the best winning angles for all of us are to promote our benefits - value, quality, local accountability, originality and unique selling points.