Is Your "Local" Florist Really Local?

In the "Online" world today, convenience is where it's at. Ordering flowers online is a very convenient way to send your sentiments across the miles. But when you order online, do you know exactly where your flowers will be coming from? Are you ordering from a "Local" Florist, or are you ordering from what we in the floral business refer to as "ORDER TAKERS". Let me explain....

In a nutshell, "Order Takers" are people who sit in a cubicle and accept your call, or your order. They, in return, forward your order on to an actual florist who may, or may not be, in the same city as the recipient. When you check out, you will be paying a "Service Fee" of anywhere from $15 to $25 for this convenience. You may think that this is part of the delivery fee, but it's not. That money is money they keep - it does not get shared with the florist. I'm going to reveal to you how your order to an "Order Taker" is handled.

You want to send flowers fast and conveniently, so you type in your search field, "Florists in Cincinnati", or "Florists in Hyde Park, Cincinnati". Your results bring up all the popular order takers. (They can spend more money on the advertising to get them listed at the top of the search page because they make the most money taking orders. I won't list the names, but you probably know who they are.)

You want to spend $50 for the flowers. Here's how your order will be filled.

• $50.00 Flowers
• 15.00 Service Fee
• 4.24 Tax
  
• -------
• $69.24 Total
  
  

Here's what actually happens.

They will forward the order via wire service or by phone. They send the florist $50.00. From that $50, they allow the florist to use $7.00 for their delivery fee. That makes your $50 flower order worth $43. From the $50, they also take back 27% from the florist in wire fees but still expect them to fill the order to the $50 value. Here's what the florist has to work with:

• $50.00 Flowers
• -7.00 Delivery Allowance (Many florist's delivery fees are $10 or more)
• - 13.50 Wire Fees
• --------
  
• $29.50 What your order is really worth.
  
  

Click on this image to check out this article at "aboutflowers.com"

As florists, it IS necessary to be members of a wire service in order to offer worldwide delivery to our customers. There are fees associated with this service, but many florists such as myself, will waive the service fee if possible. Your results will be much better if you order through an actual florist, one who has an actual storefront with flowers in it, and is not sitting in a cubicle waiting for your call.

I tell you all this because I think it is absolutely necessary to educate consumers on how their money is being spent, especially in our economy, and how important it is to use your LOCAL businesses who can provide you with the personal service and the quality products you deserve.

Add your Local florist to your browser's "Favorites" list, and next time you need to send flowers across the street, or the world, let them handle it. You will get more "Bang For Your Buck" if you do!
Thanks for listening!