Florists say the darnest things!

[BobbiR]

Dont throw stones-please!

blush:OK--I hesitated to write this but here goes---
You know, I was faced with this just the other day--I got an order for a vase with greens, babies breath and a dozen "Prunes" attached to sticks--I thought it over and then refused it--While I might do this for a regular customer who takes it herself--I did not want to send it out with my name on it!!
You may not agree with me BUT---
I dropped 1-800 because of the flowers I was forced to duplicate really tacky arrangements, with flowers that I normally do not use--
You market or "brand" your shop one way and then you are subject to another style because of a picture someone picked because it was cheap!!
The recipient does not say that the sender has "BAD TASTE"--they just assume the florist has goofed--
I can still fill a 35.00 order with style but NOT with a bunch of Fluff!! A customer who calls is always pleased--the wire service order is another matter!

 

[Spookyflowers]

But I have people who want tacky and you can't talk them into anything else. Like prom corsages with baby roses tipped some awful color.
You can never please some people no matter what you do. So I just do what people want and let roll off my back.

 

[BobbiR]

See- I am OK with giving them something tacky if they come in and get it--It is just the wire orders that I have a problem with--I know I'm a pain--but I believe if given a choice they might not pick something as horrible!!!

 

[anytimeflowers]

blush:OK--I hesitated to write this but here goes---
You know, I was faced with this just the other day--I got an order for a vase with greens, babies breath and a dozen "Prunes" attached to sticks--I thought it over and then refused it--While I might do this for a regular customer who takes it herself--I did not want to send it out with my name on it!!
You may not agree with me BUT---
I dropped 1-800 because of the flowers I was forced to duplicate really tacky arrangements, with flowers that I normally do not use--
You market or "brand" your shop one way and then you are subject to another style because of a picture someone picked because it was cheap!!
The recipient does not say that the sender has "BAD TASTE"--they just assume the florist has goofed--
I can still fill a 35.00 order with style but NOT with a bunch of Fluff!! A customer who calls is always pleased--the wire service order is another matter!

Bobbi, far from throwing stones! I agree with everything you said, including that I would do it if it were one of my customers. I would have them bring in their own prunes, though.

If a shop was calling to have me do this, no way would I take the order. I don't CARRY prunes OR bb in my store so I would have to make a special order AND a special trip. I would want at least $55 plus delivery but I doubt they were offering that much.

 

[Victoria]

Giving people the choice is what it's all about. If they choose what I deem to be tacky, will I create it and sell it? You bet. Their money works just as well for me.

V

 

[Spookyflowers]

I agree the customer is always right no matter what your customer thinks it's the person sending it and they picked out because they thought the person they were sendning it too would "love" it.

 

[Flowerchatter03]

You can get the prunes that are individually wrapped to use in those types of arrangements. They don't make up a very pretty bouquet by themselves, but if you add them to an actual pretty arrangement, they are kind of clever with an over the hill balloon.

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

I certainly WOULD NOT tie balloons to a stuffie alone....here's why, many people "forget" that sometimes they give gifts to little kids that are NOT appropriate, and we had a case, whereby an 11 month old got tangled in the balloon strings, and although his life was NOT in danger, the brand new, first time mom freaked out, really freaked out!!

Oh come on- The Mom was stupid then. That's all I have to say about that.

 

[sandytf]

We have a saying at the store, "People with bad taste have money too". It ranks right up there with the crazy daisy weddings we've had to do. I recently saw one of those prune arrangments in another store's cooler with a sold ticket on it. Seriously, it looked like poop on a stick. I kind of made a joke about it and she told me a woman had bought it for a silent auction at a church! Wonder how that went over? Hope they all had a good sense of humor!

That being said.....I think I would have taken the order but attached a disclaimer stating that this arrangements was "specially" picked out for you by the sender. You know, now that I think about it, that's not a bad thing to add to any arrangement we send out that was specifically picked out by the sender...whether it was picked out of the cooler or from the website. It might cut down on those complaints (escpecially from unappreciative moms at Mother's Day) who say, "My son would never pick yellow roses to send to me". Um...ya...he did.

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

blush:OK--I hesitated to write this but here goes---
You know, I was faced with this just the other day--I got an order for a vase with greens, babies breath and a dozen "Prunes" attached to sticks--I thought it over and then refused it--While I might do this for a regular customer who takes it herself--I did not want to send it out with my name on it!!
You may not agree with me BUT---
I dropped 1-800 because of the flowers I was forced to duplicate really tacky arrangements, with flowers that I normally do not use--
You market or "brand" your shop one way and then you are subject to another style because of a picture someone picked because it was cheap!!
The recipient does not say that the sender has "BAD TASTE"--they just assume the florist has goofed--
I can still fill a 35.00 order with style but NOT with a bunch of Fluff!! A customer who calls is always pleased--the wire service order is another matter!

I agree too Bobbi!

We dropped Bloomnet for a plethora of reasons. #1 reason too many complaints of "THIS IS NOT YOUR WORK!" Down right pissed off people. Nothing wrong with the order- nothing wrong with the flowers- and of course nothing wrong with the design. Always well designed replicas of Bloomnet garb. Regardless- filling Bloomnet orders was more damaging to the shop than not filling them. If I sent out a dozen roses in a 4089 with leather leaf and pounds of Babies breath and a big red acetate bow- OMG...I think someone would come and beat me up, seriously.
for some shops that works- but not for this one.
NOW- if this shop was a carnations, daisies, babies breath, leather leaf, utility vase sort of shop....then fine, I'd make the best dang well made arrangements ever.
But lucky for me-it's not.

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

We have a saying at the store, "People with bad taste have money too". It ranks right up there with the crazy daisy weddings we've had to do. I recently saw one of those prune arrangments in another store's cooler with a sold ticket on it. Seriously, it looked like poop on a stick. I kind of made a joke about it and she told me a woman had bought it for a silent auction at a church! Wonder how that went over? Hope they all had a good sense of humor!

That being said.....I think I would have taken the order but attached a disclaimer stating that this arrangements was "specially" picked out for you by the sender. You know, now that I think about it, that's not a bad thing to add to any arrangement we send out that was specifically picked out by the sender...whether it was picked out of the cooler or from the website. It might cut down on those complaints (escpecially from unappreciative moms at Mother's Day) who say, "My son would never pick yellow roses to send to me". Um...ya...he did.

I had that exact thing happen to me last Mother's Day.
The son ordered from Blooms Today. blooming plants is a 'strawberry' basket (you know those handled splitwood baskets). We got a total of $40 for the order- $5 below our minimum, but we took it anyway.
Mom called and just layed into me. "My son spent 70 dollars- this is not your work- I hate your guts (just kidding, she didn't say that) blah blah blah. I calmly told her if she's like to bring it in she can pick out whatever she wanted for the value that was sent to the shop. We agreed I'd look up the ticket and I'd have it ready when she got here to prove to her that she was right- It was no where near a $70 anything and yes- it was not the type of work we normally do. when she actually saw the order she was shocked that I wasn't lying. She was actually quite pleasant afterward.....
In this business, especially if you are a higher end boutique shop- reputation is everything.

 

[Petals]

Had an interesting phone call this morning. One of my customers wanted to know if I delivered for Pro Flowers. She goes on to explain that one of her relatives had ordered something from Pro Flowers that was to be delivered tomorrow to her mother-in-law who would be out of town until next week. She was trying to find out which florist was delivering the order because Pro Flowers had told the sender it was too late cancel it. I politely explained to her that perhaps it was being dropped shipped directly to the home and that is probably why it couldn't be cancelled. I did point out that this is why one should use a local florist. I will add that my shop is about three blocks from the mother-in-laws house. Anyway, my customer just assumed that I would be the one with the order..obviously not!

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

I had that exact thing happen to me last Mother's Day.
The son ordered from Blooms Today. blooming plants is a 'strawberry' basket (you know those handled splitwood baskets). We got a total of $40 for the order- $5 below our minimum, but we took it anyway.
Mom called and just layed into me. "My son spent 70 dollars- this is not your work- I hate your guts (just kidding, she didn't say that) blah blah blah. I calmly told her if she's like to bring it in she can pick out whatever she wanted for the value that was sent to the shop. We agreed I'd look up the ticket and I'd have it ready when she got here to prove to her that she was right- It was no where near a $70 anything and yes- it was not the type of work we normally do. when she actually saw the order she was shocked that I wasn't lying. She was actually quite pleasant afterward.....
In this business, especially if you are a higher end boutique shop- reputation is everything.

been waiting for Shannon's post......
Do YOU REALLY want YOUR shop name attached to a "prune" order?????....."Good morning, thank you for calling Enema Florists, how are your bowels today??.."

 

[BobbiR]

Thank you Mikey--my thoughts exactially!!!!!!

 

[CarverFlowers]

Makes you wonder how some people survive...

Makes you understand why some don't.

 

[CarverFlowers]

:--I got an order for a vase with greens, babies breath and a dozen "Prunes" attached to sticks--

I got one last year that was similar - they wanted a couple of stems of salal and birch branches, with olives attached to the birch branches. Apparently it was about some dust-up two people had, and one of them wanted to 'extend the olive branch.' They wanted me to deliver it because tempers were still high and the sender didn't want to get an earful. So I did it, and delivered it. It was a real hit. The recipient burst out laughing, the sender called me and thanked me over and over. And word must have spread, because people I don't even know will bring up the fact that I delivered an "olive branch" for the sender.

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

:--I got an order for a vase with greens, babies breath and a dozen "Prunes" attached to sticks--

I got one last year that was similar - they wanted a couple of stems of salal and birch branches, with olives attached to the birch branches. Apparently it was about some dust-up two people had, and one of them wanted to 'extend the olive branch.' They wanted me to deliver it because tempers were still high and the sender didn't want to get an earful. So I did it, and delivered it. It was a real hit. The recipient burst out laughing, the sender called me and thanked me over and over. And word must have spread, because people I don't even know will bring up the fact that I delivered an "olive branch" for the sender.

But,butt, EVERYONE 'likes" olives......they go in ALL the right "places"....

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

been waiting for Shannon's post......
Do YOU REALLY want YOUR shop name attached to a "prune" order?????....."Good morning, thank you for calling Enema Florists, how are your bowels today??.."

Mikey-seriously, what made you think I would want THIS shop associated with a prune bouquet.....

Now having said that- I HAVE made many a prune bouquet for OTHER shops I worked for. BUT our business model was not of the "high end boutique" shop.

Oh and BTW- I LOVE that you care enough about me to "wait" for my post...awwww ((((hugs))))

 

[Flowerchatter03]

been waiting for Shannon's post......
Do YOU REALLY want YOUR shop name attached to a "prune" order?????....."Good morning, thank you for calling Enema Florists, how are your bowels today??.."

Would you believe that when I worked at another shop, had a customer who wanted an enema kit added to a gift basket? Not to be funny, just because the old lady needed it and they didn't have time to pick it up for her!!!!!

 

[lori042499]

I too ended up dropping 800-flowers all because their designs and my designs were a world apart...Many people started to expect a certain kind of style from my shop and would be dissapointed if it was a weedy supermarket bouquet, not to mention I had to sell the left overs from these bouquets in my arrangements and even they were starting to look weedy...so bye bye weak link...I always worked for wire heavy shops with a very traditional feel in their delivered arrangements...now I do my style and have made a name for myslef and the ftd/800flowers crap just doesn't cut the mustard...noone is more amazed than me about this turn of events..

I am currently running my old store while the owner is on vacation from my store and I cannot believe the world of difference in the quality of my flower to the quality of his..I have been sitting here wondering how I got to be such a flower snob with such high standards when I worked with crap for so many years...I'll really never know the answer to that one, but I am now very glad that I stepped out and got out on my own...