Graduation time....

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Rosey

I Suck Cuz I'm Banned
Feb 20, 2003
143
0
0
55
Canada
Hi Members
Grad time is approaching us fast, some of you might be designi ng now for it. Just an fwe question is regards to wristlets, I am asking you how much you are charging for them this year, and which product line are you using for wristlets as well. I would like to have access to an supplier that has an abundance of wristlet colors, the place where I get mine, only have a few colors so.... anyone know????? and the prices are also an issue.and what other products that sel well at grad times.
Let me know, what you do and what sells most in your area, around Grad days!
Rosey
 
Hate them suckers but....

We charge 2.50 for the elastic ones....

A couple years ago, we tried the velcro version, and the kids hated them, not comfortable, they said...

We also have some that look like them hari cozy thingys... charge 6.00 for these... but there again kids don;t like them too much....

Amazing how something so simple, has not evolved in the last 20 years, and is still a pain in the A** to work with !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
That's scary.....

we TOO thought it was time for change. and moved from the elastic bands they call "wristlets" to the velcro,and even went as far as working with straight "ribbon tie on" wrist corsages, and have now migrated BACK to the elastic type, beacuse THAT'S what the "kiddies" prefer.
Corsages take a fair bit if time to make properly...I hardly EVER take one for less than $15.00, and almost ALWAYS charge a MINIMUM of $18.00 for a wrist OR pin on corsage!!
The MOST expensive we've ever done was $50.00.
Mike
 
Always use the velcro because that seems to be what they like here...Mother's of the bride prefer them as well...not too confining, doesn't cut off circulation etc...I hate them no matter what they're on.

Have moved to magnets for M's of B's also. They are willing to pay the extra to protect the expensive wedding outfit.
 
we still use the elastic wristlets. Personally I think whoever invented the wrist corsage should be slapped:p We charge a minimum of $15 for a wrist corsage. This year for prom we only gave the kids a choice of roses, mini carns or carns. No orchids, no steph. I thought we were going to get some flack about it but not one complained. They just said "ok" and ordered roses.
 
After many years of staying upuntil 1am finishing the prom corsages I decided four years ago to offer carns or roses and that's it. They pick roses and I don't have to work late. No complaints either. I won't let them do a one rose wrist though, looks weird. They used to complain about the elasitc wristlets until I gave them velcro and now they cry for elastic again. Go figure. I agree with whoever above made the comment about slapping whoever invented wrist corsages and also the comment about how difficult they still are to work with after all these years.
Our prom is the weekend after Mother's Day. No rest for the weary, but at least they stopped having it Mother's Day weekend like they used to.
:rolleyes:
 
Wrist was BECAUSE of the DRESS?

Today the less coverage on TOP with the dresses has made the WRIST the FAVORITE:D

What BABIES you all are crying about hating Wrist Corsages..

Do you want SAMS CLUB or Whatever to control that market too?.

Prom and Homecoming equates to $$$$$$$ and that is most of the time NON CREDIT CARDS! Cash is KING!.

Send all your students to ME! I love a good CASH ACCOUNT.
 
I would guess Blue that you don't do any design work in your shop other wise you might have a different opinion of doing the darn things:rolleyes:
And maybe in your neck of the woods people pay for these things with cash. Not down here they don't. The kids all drive BMW's and carry AMEX cards.
Nope I stand by by dislike for the things and if Sams club wants to corner the market on wrist corsages they can have them. Of course the nearest Sams is 2 and a half hours away from me.....
 
Prom is Mother's Day weekend for past 3 years. After HE** the first year, my cut off date is one week (today). We offer spray roses (wrist) or mini carnations (wrist) and only in white, red, or pink. We attempt to blend ribbons. Even when the boy says the dress is red and it is burgundy duh! $18.50 for spray roses 4-5 blooms/buds with tulle, baby's breath $15.00 for minis 4-5 blooms/buds with above. All bows and wristlets are together as I type with tulle added. Will do them up Thursday for pick up Sat.
I get lots of bull from parents.....and those who wait to ask a date on next Thurs, Fri, and even the day of the prom but Sorry. Even glueing, I can make 4-5 pre greened designs in the time it takes to glue a corsage start to finish. Won't do it.
Other thing I have started, will not give wedding design prices before confirmation of date. Just yesterday had mom and daughter come in to look at books wanting prices. She was unbelievable when I told her I didn't give prices without confirmation of wedding. She said "we want to look". I said, I don't give prices for you to go to the other 2 shops to compare. They left. I know the correspondance school shop will under price, the other shop..well sometimes they are okay. But won't waste my time for giving them ideas.
Have a great week, all.
 
Re: Wrist was BECAUSE of the DRESS?

Originally posted by Blue Oyster Cult

What BABIES you all are crying about hating Wrist Corsages..
Click to expand...

Oh Blue, we don't cry to THEM. We can come here and cry about things occasionally.

To THEM we take their "life or death decision" corsage order with just the right bow color and do it all with patience and a smile plastered on our faces. I do anyway.

I only complain about it to you.:D (or whoever alse reads it here)
Now don't you feel priviledged? Not everyone gets to here our complaints!!! ;)
 
Last year prom was M-day weekend here. I happen to know the superintendent of shools here and we had a little chat. I told her that if they did that to us again this year the kids were going to have to buy their corsages at the grocery store because we would not be doing them. That took care of that problem;)
This year prom was last week and it worked out great. No fuss no muss. Had plenty of time to do the work and since we had two weddings also that weekend we were all primed for doing the hand work.

Lots of bucks came in the door. I still hate the darned things....
 
We had a grad yesterday (Friday) out of a graduating class of 160-180 we had somewhere between 40-50 corsages , local grocery store got the rest. I have a good friend who works at the grocery, all corsage were finished by noon on Wednesday because they had weddings to do for Friday and Saturday, they do the Friday weddings on Wed and the Saturday ones on Thurs. After fixing up a few of the corsages purchased there one can only wonder why anyone would buy there at all for a day thats supposed to be a once in a lifetime thing . The few cents that they save can't be worth the crappy work that they receive or just maybe they get what they pay for and therefore deserve.
 
You be WRONG

Originally posted by jbarb
I would guess Blue that you don't do any design work in your shop other wise you might have a different opinion of doing the darn things:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

You need to check into who is who before you go and make a guess about someone.

I will let you know that Blue does design and deliver and wait on customers and YES even make WRIST CORSAGES in his spare time...the other times when I'm idle I'm doing the purchasing and o yeh ACCOUNTING. :mad:
 
Re: Wrist was BECAUSE of the DRESS?

Originally posted by Blue Oyster Cult
What BABIES you all are crying about hating Wrist Corsages..

Do you want SAMS CLUB or Whatever to control that market too?.
Click to expand...

No, to answer the ?? above, Blue does not do corsages :eek:

And you bet buddy, if I could have you do them for ME I would...

Crap, I have tried over the past few years to eliminate them, simly by pricing myslef out of the market, raising corsage prices 10% each year for the past 3...BUTT THEY STILL KEEP COMING:confused:

So, now with the added funds, they are getting to be a CASH COW, even when I take out the LABOR intensive part of the equation....

Two weeks to another 10% increase, the day after the prom...
 
corsages

Our prom is Mother's Day weekend every year! :mad:

Yes, these corsages are time consuming but...

I want these kids coming back year after year for ALL their flower needs.

To streamline the process, we do the following:

- Custom corsages/bouts ordered through Thursday for Saturday pick-up.
- Choice of red, white or pink spray roses or white dendrobs from Friday on...
- All wrist corsages are made on velcro wrislettes (painted with DesignMaster to coordinate) with the 'bases' (ribbon, foliages) being put togther in advance.
- All wrist corsages are made using the gluing technique.

Each kid is reminded that it's Mother's Day and to place their orders early. Each pick-up is offered the purchase of wrapped longstem roses to give to date's Mom (so she won't be so mad when he brings the date home really late (or early.))

Every other shop in our area refuses corsage orders after Wednesday...go figure...
 
I'm sort of with Rosie.....

the "kids" you are all taking about ARE OUR future customers, and are MUCH SMARTER, quicker, sophisticated, and demanding, than WE WERE at their time, and I for one, have NO qualms about doing corsages...they ARE VERY,VERY, labour intensive, and MOST good designers can knock off TWO $100.00 funeral pieces in the time it takes to do 2 or 3 corsages, AND, this is what makes florists "edgy" when a major holiday, and proms come together at the same time...SO...
Let's take this back to where it started......FTD.com
FTD.com gets many requests for corsages during polling, and MAY be in the right frame of mind by offering them at the increased prices that they have come to realize, BUT, FTD.com ALSO needs to realize that I WILL serve MY clients FIRST, at FULL price, THEN, IF I am able, will come to terms with doing THEIR corsages IF they understand that I WILL NOT DELIVER CORSAGES!!....they are a VERY LOW profit generator IF FTD.COM takes THEIR cut, and the clearinghouse takes THEIR cut, and then ALSO take their cut out of my delivery costs, and ALSO, IF I deliver to the door, and the recipient looks at it, and doesn't like the choice that was made, and want something else...WHO do you think is screwed??
FTD.com REALLY needs to ask if we'd be willing to participate in such a product launch, and WAYYYY before a REALLY MAJOR holiday like this one!!
Mike
 
Well put Mikey, but they could care less of what you or I think of any subject as long as they can put money in their own pockets screw the rest of us.
 
I agree with blue on this one with the sams club dabbing into the market on corsages. If this was to happen then next ya'll would be complaining of who is getting all the weddings. Thank God my 3 SAMS does not do corsages or weddings or deliver, they have my cards and pass them out to all customers wanting these services! Networking with them has help me get that business. These kids are $$$$'s this month and a few years from now(weddings) as well as ongoing customers. If you treat them today right, then you build their loyalty to you in the future. I have always beleived in this saying: NO PAIN, NO GAIN. Pain making the little buggers, No gain, upcharging to where they won't buy from you!
Rosey,
Answer to your question: We call all the highschools in our area to find out what the dates are (7) they start in late apr. and go all thru may. We give them 2 choices of main flowers: orchids and roses, fresh or silk. We sell them as a set $35 (bout/corsage) My kids here want the velcro instead of the elastic b/c of adjustable to wrist. All wristlets are premade and put in plastic containers , every color of the rainbow then the flowers are added on when ordered. I use alot of tulle, satin tubing, corsage leaves along with silver/gold dried babys breath (for sparkle) Organizational skills are a must with MD and doing on a weekly basis 100-200 sets. (grad. pop. in each school 900-1000)
The kids come in as couples, you'd think this was a wedding the way they act. But I treat them as that too, b/c these kids have come to me all 4 yrs in highschool for the homecomings. I have a special message that I put in each box and tell them to read when opening for the picture takings before they leave.

It reads:

Underage drinking is against the Law!!! Please Don't Drink & Drive!
Celebrate Responsively and have a great time tonight. Thank you for your patronage thru the years with homecoming.
Ms. Cyndi

They also have started this new fad, the boy when picking the corsage up also wants a 2 bouquets of flowers to present to date and mom of date for that night.
I hope this has helped you in giving you ideas for the proms!
Cyndi
 
Well said Lady Biker!!
I don't know where this thread made a turn and started becoming a customer service issue :confused:
We can hate doing wrist corsages or anything else. That does not mean the we don't service our customers. There are those of you on here that do not sell carns or use bbreath. So does that mean that you give poor customer service or does that mean that you don't want any customers to ever shop in your store if they like bb or carns? I doubt it.

Sheesh!

I also hate doing in casket pieces because it goons me out when I have to put the things in with the body. Does that mean that I turn them down or treat the customer badly? No, it just means that I don't like doing them.

Jim
 
Jim jbarb, you be placing?

Did I read your message correct? your placing a corsage on the Deceased at the Funeral home?.

I will await your responce before I say anymore..

Blue
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back