As we are less than two weeks away from Valentine's Day, I thought this might be of interest to our readers. There has been an industry struggle over the past few years in regards to local florists and the national wire services (Teleflora, FTD, etc).
Many people don't realize that when they order flowers or gift from these wire services as opposed to directly from the local businesses, the following happens:
The local florist that is filling the order is only receiving 40 percent of that sales transaction from the big box wire services. They are essentially losing money on many orders that come through this system, but at a time when floral shop sales are down, they take what they can get.
The photo that most people see on wire service websites is not what your recipient will receive. The photo on the website is obviously created to draw the person in to make the purchase and is often showed at the "maximum bloom point." The maximum bloom point is the point where a fresh floral arrangement opens to full bloom and it is nearing the point where the flowers will no longer look fresh in just a few days to follow. When people receive the actual order, they are usually much fresher (but the flowers are slightly more closed) than what is pictured to ensure that they last longer. This does tend to upset people as they think that are getting ripped off by not getting exactly what is pictured on the website.
Also, many large wire services work out of local warehouses during the busy holiday times. These arrangements are created in an assembly line style by people with little to no floral design experience. Or with some companies like 1-800 Flowers, they are often sent via UPS or Fedex to the recipient in no water and are not the greatest quality as they are tossed around in a delivery truck.
When you order from a local floral shop, you are working directly with the professional designers who will create the gift for your recipient because they have a passion for the business and for the art of floral design. As you shop around for the best Valentine's Day gift, remember to support your local businesses. They are here to help you and look forward to creating a great gift for your recipient on this romantic holiday and the others throughout the year.
Where do those flowers originate?
I love buying my wife roses, lots of them. Clip the stems at a 45 degree angle when you buy them and every other day with a sharp scissors, and change out the water every time and use the fertilizer packets they provide. Sunlight helps them unfold and pick off the outside dead petals as they appear but do not put the roses in direct sunlight as it will accelerate their life.
Thank you for a voice of reason.
Those flowers are coming from South of the border.
I am surprised anyone "wires" flowers anymore. In the "old days" it was done because it would've been challenging to locate a Florist, and there would've been a long distance charge and difficulty in coordinating payment. Most of those obstacles have been removed with current technology. As to the price ... everyone should realize it is regulated by supply and demand. The odd thing with flowers is that demand is oblivious to growing seasons ... purely emotional ... so cost varies wildly, and most consumers will simply pay the market price, since it isn't a recurring expense (like groceries).
I wish you well ... your challenge is greater than when I was engaged as a Florist due to the changes over time.
On a positive note, I would like to add that The CarmelRose Florist is part of "Florists for Change". This is a group of florists that are dedicated to the Retail Floral buy local Movement. The florists that are part of this group bypass FTD and Teleflora when possible and it is a great group of florists that believe that the industry must break away from the wire services. FTD and Teleflora are a FEE BASED company. Their charges are most of the time horrendous for the florist. Enjoy Flowers!!!!!!! They will brighten your day!