09/16/2024
Rant from a florist warning:
We have all moved into the "order everything online" era. I'm waiting on two more deliveries today for things I ordered last week. I get it.
When you search online for a florist in an area, the links at the top of the list are all "Family Owned", "Local Same Day Delivery" conglomerates. Unless they have a local address and phone number, they are not local. They are in a processing/call center in New Jersey.
They charge us to be members of the network and then a fee per order sent to or by us. Oh, there are all sorts of benefits. For extra fees, they will provide of point of sale system, or manage a website.
Florists are different. There are only, something like 11,000 of us left in the country. We are primarily women owned. Some live paycheck to paycheck, some live order by order.
But say you are a small shop that doesn't participate in the network. They have guaranteed same day delivery. They have to find someone. So, they call a small florist in the area and offer $55 for a rose bouquet with lilies in a lead crystal vase and delivery. They charged the customer $145 for that order. (maybe an exaggeration, but not far off) They will keep negotiating until they have reached their minimum profit margin for that order. Then they go back to the customer to get more money.
The point, you may ask, is "so what?". Here's the point: These small businesses pay taxes in your town. They support the little league team they don't have a kid on. They may go to church with you. They most certainly need your business. And they are artists. We have some of the most talented designers in Lubbock.
This rant was primarily about our little store in Chico, Texas, we bought in June of 1994. In the beginning, we were a part of a network. We had a giant yellow page phone book with network florists listing what they sold and what their minimums were and their service area. We had to buy a certain quantity of their signature container, which we rarely sold all of. It was just too much. So now, we are the florist they call when they can't get anybody to take their order. And I have been stuck in a loop of AI chat bot, phone system, customer service rep, florist customer rep with said New Jersey conglomerate.
Now you know. Call the local store. You will get far better service and product. Tell them to make it Designer's Choice. You will get a piece of art.
