Trish,
With all due respect, I think you're overreacting to this. No where does this article say that people should be doing their own funeral arrangements! As a matter of fact the title of the article and the first line clearly states:
Bouquets brighten your home; Flower arranging does not require a professional florist.
Most people love cut flowers and would love to fill their homes with fresh bouquets, but many people still feel intimidated by the design process."
This article is clearly using the "flower arranging does not require a professional florist" statement in the context of designing flowers for one's home.
I refer back to Darrel's comment regarding baking. Why is it ok to have tons of shows about cooking and baking and sharing recipes but not ok to have any information for working with flowers at home? It would be ludicrous for the restaurant industry to come out and complain that all those shows on Food Network were the demise of their business! Now, if a restaurant served bland food and overcharged for it-they may go out of business-but not because of any DIY cooking show. As long as the consumer sees VALUE in going to a restaurant, there will be a need.
I seriously cannot see how this is "slamming" the industry. It's good publicity for the industry. Anytime flowers get publicity in a positive way, it's reinforcing that positive association to consumers everywhere!
Maybe we aren't talking about the article anymore-maybe this is personal.
If that's the case, I still feel that bringing this article to this forum is a valuable thing. We should all be aware of what's out there and what kind of perceptions consumers have of us and our industry. Even if we don't like it or agree with it. If we don't pay atttention to the "pulse" of the consumer we are really in danger of becoming obsolete.
I believe Jon has stated on many occasions that he values good design and quality. I know he seems to beat a dead horse, but what I have always taken away from his posts is that "artistic design" is not necessarily what the masses of consumers are looking for. Is there a place for it? Yes. Is it something that the majority of shops can make their bread and butter on? Probably not. How many people buy couture design? How many shop at Old Navy and Gap and even Walmart instead? Would we like to buy designer clothes? I know I would if I was rich! But, in the meantime, I'll buy whatever clothing I find that offers some elements of style and quality that I can afford.
As much as some of us don't like it, the floral industry DOES have parallels to other industries out there. It's just that for many years, there was only one go to market strategy for selling flowers. What if, in history, restaurants were the predominant way of getting our food? What if there was very little hunting for our own food and no place like a grocery store to get the raw ingredients to do our own cooking? Then someone sees the opportunity of selling the ingredients directly to the consumer at a lower cost so they could make their own food! You bet the restaurants would be screaming! "We want our customers back!" "It's not fair that the grocery stores sell the food at lower prices than what we charge!" Now, only the restaurants that offer value to their customers are going to survive. Some well run, high end places will still survive as long as there are people who appreciate it and can afford it. Some super cheap places with so-so food will survive because it's all people can afford or want to spend. And, for those who fall somewhere in the middle, they better be offering a value to their customers. The right balance of quality, price, etc. There is a lot of room for different niches in this category-it's just striking the right balance-and perhaps the hardest place to be of all.
The cat is out of the bag. There is no going back.
Just my opinion. I'll get off my :soapbox: !!
Sandy
