| SAVE THE FLORISTS |
| "I saved a couple bucks sending boxed flowers. She'll never know the difference." |
If you read this question; ask yourself why you went to Walmart the last time that you
did. Was it for the variety/selection? Perceived savings? Convenience/location/hours?
The same reasons apply here. Online order takers like FTD, Teleflora, ProFlowers,
800thisandthat... solicit from us local retailers huge dollars annually in "membership
fees", then turn and spend those dollars on advertising to attract your attention while
surfing. (They also get a cut out of every order they take before they pass it on to us
local florists- much like a bank, they get paid bi-directionally.) The florist-order
gateways have a huge selection. They are open convenient hours (24/7) and are
located convenient to your home- in fact, in your home. Then there is the perceived
savings of using FTD etc. As mentioned by others, they will cut back into you at the
end of the order, when you have exhausted your patience filling out all the online
order: "by the way, there will be a $9.99 order transaction fee attached to your
purchase today." You despondently reply: "Oh okay then, what's an extra $9.99, I
already saved 25%. It's 230 am and I don’t want to have to call a florist at 8 am when I
already filled out all these order forms." {take a breath now... } Us hometown, order
filling, local florists will see $23.50 of the $50 order that you placed with them. And that
will be 30-60 days after we filled your order. The rest of your money stayed with
FTD/etc. Now we are coerced, by the nature of the economy, to fill these orders
because the by nature, a retail florist sinks like a rock (financially) when it doesn't flow
with orders on a daily basis. We will struggle to deliver a flower arrangement to your
grandmother for that $23.50 that creatively looks good as a $50 product. Eventually,
every one of us retail florists has grown long in the tooth and wise and left the
membership roles of those order-taking monoliths. But we all tried it at one point.
Consumers, too, are finally waking up. Your local florist is re-tooling itself in the next
generation of internet shopping and offering excellent counter-points to using the order-
takers. We are still alive because we offer our customers 100% service, and provide a
product that we are certain cannot be purchased at FTD/etc.- in value, quality, and
service, and artistry. For example, in our particular neck of the nation- when you
ordered Grandma’s birthday bouquet from us, -a purple assortment because purple is
her favorite color- we personally delivered when she was known to be in between her
favorite game shows, gave her a smile, and sang to her “happy birthday” at the
retirement home in front of everyone… and it did not cost you any $9.99 up-charge.
{another breath here} Please, consumers… I-search for a local, real, independent
florist who services the area where you sending flowers to or near yourself if you want
to visit. And don’t shop at walmart, either. www.designsbydoe.com
did. Was it for the variety/selection? Perceived savings? Convenience/location/hours?
The same reasons apply here. Online order takers like FTD, Teleflora, ProFlowers,
800thisandthat... solicit from us local retailers huge dollars annually in "membership
fees", then turn and spend those dollars on advertising to attract your attention while
surfing. (They also get a cut out of every order they take before they pass it on to us
local florists- much like a bank, they get paid bi-directionally.) The florist-order
gateways have a huge selection. They are open convenient hours (24/7) and are
located convenient to your home- in fact, in your home. Then there is the perceived
savings of using FTD etc. As mentioned by others, they will cut back into you at the
end of the order, when you have exhausted your patience filling out all the online
order: "by the way, there will be a $9.99 order transaction fee attached to your
purchase today." You despondently reply: "Oh okay then, what's an extra $9.99, I
already saved 25%. It's 230 am and I don’t want to have to call a florist at 8 am when I
already filled out all these order forms." {take a breath now... } Us hometown, order
filling, local florists will see $23.50 of the $50 order that you placed with them. And that
will be 30-60 days after we filled your order. The rest of your money stayed with
FTD/etc. Now we are coerced, by the nature of the economy, to fill these orders
because the by nature, a retail florist sinks like a rock (financially) when it doesn't flow
with orders on a daily basis. We will struggle to deliver a flower arrangement to your
grandmother for that $23.50 that creatively looks good as a $50 product. Eventually,
every one of us retail florists has grown long in the tooth and wise and left the
membership roles of those order-taking monoliths. But we all tried it at one point.
Consumers, too, are finally waking up. Your local florist is re-tooling itself in the next
generation of internet shopping and offering excellent counter-points to using the order-
takers. We are still alive because we offer our customers 100% service, and provide a
product that we are certain cannot be purchased at FTD/etc.- in value, quality, and
service, and artistry. For example, in our particular neck of the nation- when you
ordered Grandma’s birthday bouquet from us, -a purple assortment because purple is
her favorite color- we personally delivered when she was known to be in between her
favorite game shows, gave her a smile, and sang to her “happy birthday” at the
retirement home in front of everyone… and it did not cost you any $9.99 up-charge.
{another breath here} Please, consumers… I-search for a local, real, independent
florist who services the area where you sending flowers to or near yourself if you want
to visit. And don’t shop at walmart, either. www.designsbydoe.com
Why don't people order flowers from their local florist verses online...
Asked by Soprana1960 from Middletown, NJ, November 2010
Asked by Soprana1960 from Middletown, NJ, November 2010
Buying flowers
should bring as
much joy as
getting them. Send
flowers, get a note
of thanks; Send a
Design by Doe, get
sincere gratitude
and appreciation.
It's the personal
touch by a shop
local florist.
should bring as
much joy as
getting them. Send
flowers, get a note
of thanks; Send a
Design by Doe, get
sincere gratitude
and appreciation.
It's the personal
touch by a shop
local florist.