Wire Charge & Minimum

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Lady Biker Florist

Lady Biker Florist

Well-Known Member
Jan 12, 2003
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Hazel Park
www.daisypetal.com
State / Prov
Michigan
I want to know what your wire charge is, and please state whether you have FTD, TF, both, or other. Also do you have a minimum to wire "out"?

Our wire charge is 7.99 and we will not wire ANYTHING out for less that 35.00. So minimum "out the door" to wire is $45.09.

In the two years we have been doing this we have only had a small handful decide to NOT send.

I'd like to know your comments also about having a minimum to wire out. If a customer wants to send one rose, it's still $35.00 No exceptions. Only one or two actually ever did that. Not a problem actually. A few seem disappointed and a little concerned they called elsewhere next time. ??? What do you think?:confused:

P.S. Our customers are spoiled by looking at the selection guide, however I have my selection guide priced to include the delivery charge for the other florist so there is not ANOTHER charge added on.
 
FTD & TF; 6.00 wire charge. We always go by the florists codified prices and add another 5.00 so the customer has a better chance of not being disappointed.
 
FTD. We charge no wire out fee. Minimum 25, plus $5 delivery fee to most places, if higher delivery fee area, we add up to $10 extra. $30 will usually get them out., if out of selection guide, SRP and delivery fee.
 
TF Only
$4.00 Transfer fee
Generally operate with our in-store minimums as a guideline:
Cuts $25-30
Arrangement $40
Tribute <mache> $60
Roses in vase $70
Delivery for wire outs is $7

Very rare that we get a complaint on price.
 
FTD ONLY !!

NO service charge

Average outgoing order 54.27 including delivery

Control about 85% of the outgoing FTD biz in my area...

ONLY one doing it FREE
 
FTD AND tf
Cost to send $4.00
Cost for ddelivery Minimum $6.00, big town 7.00 or higher
Minimum Start st $25.00 for custs $35.00 for arr.
 
FTD and TF.
No wire out fee. Always add a minimum of $6 to an order for delivery. Always look at shop minimums before sending an order so as not to send a below minimum to that shop.

Jim
 
We charge 6.50 service fee in Canada and 7.50 to USA no reason for the difference but also no complaints about it. we charge 20.00 sevice fee on interflora orders. our prices are suggested retail prices from the FTD guide plus a delivery charge this add another little extra because I think srp include delivery. we are still number 1 or maybe 2 in our city for sending . Our average outgoing order for the year is 59.10 we don't do any deliveries out of our local delivery area but send out of area deliveries by wire. That is our delivery service will service an area of about 200 km radius but if there is a problem with an order too far away its a real hassle to fix it. I'm happy with the 20% plus service fees we get on wire orders. This has worked for us for 25 years Bill
 
We just reduced our FTD & TF "service charge" to 7.50 flat for North America, 20.00 on Retrans orders six months ago. I have been considering going to a "no charge" situation for the same time period and am still sitting on the fence. If I find out my closer competitors are doing it I will get off the fence for sure, meanwhile each 7.50 I take in helps to cover my technology costs which have skyrocketed over the last 5 years.
One thing worth noting is that wire service reps have encouraged me to do it for free. I find that interesting. If they get a few to do it everyone (count me in) will follow. That is clear profit for me out the window. It would be nice if the wire services would do what they do for free too. When will they learn that if a florist does not make a profit he won't be there to fill a wire order?
Of course the argument is that by offering free sending you get more orders, more 20%'s, more rebates and in the end make more $$$$. And when EVERYONE offers free sending, THEN who wins? As I posted on another board years ago...if you offer free sending, free delivery, free designing, free reminder service, free babies breath, the only thing left is free flowers.
I am beginning to believe the only thing that will save us from profit-free flower shops is to form very small local florist groups where we agree that we are in business to feed our families and to stick together so that we can meet that objective. I am such a dreamer.
 
FTD and Tel...$4.00 "relay charge". Coded filling florist minimums with $5. increase. Add $5.00 del to most places.
And yes, I will do a rose in paper delivered in our area $10 as our coded minimum order is that. And that budvase with one rose for $35? That will get a cut crystal budvase with one rose, greens, nice ribbon bow, baby's breath or nice filler delivered. If the customer wanted one rose, they'll get one rose. If they send it through as roses in vase to value, that's a different story.
Sorry, long winded LOL
 
If the wire services were to reduce their membership fees, service charges and the like, then it may be ecominically prudent to rid yourself of the sending fee. IMO, the service fee is just that. Today, the consumer has access to the information necessary to call an order out of town on their own. Why one would accept all the responsibility for someones order and not collect a fee for it is puzzeling to say the least.

considering there has been no growth worth mentioning in the wire business for some years, and no hope of it increasing with the growth of the internet. ther seems to be little hope of growing your own outgoing business as a result of getting rid of the fees. There is a break even point where one needs to grow the business befor you end up with a gain. and this growth is easily countered by the compitition eliminating their fees.

Even if one uses the 20% commission on the increase in business as the counter to the loss of fees. You still end up short on the revenue flow needed to counter the loss incurred on any incomming business you recieve.

I find it disingenous of the wire services to suggest that you eliminate your fees for sending orders when they themselfs are charging fees for the very same service. Which in reality would, for the most part,never occure. If the consumer were to purchase from a flower shop all together. I also doubt that they are suggesting that the order gatherers rid themselfs of their fees either. Besides, it's no loss for the wire services if you charge a fee or not because their going to clear the order one way or the other.

Not to pick on my friend Boss. But he has a 10 year history behind his policy of no service fees. and the 87% market share is only relevent with reguards to FTD traffic. I doesn't take into account what volume of outgoing orders are generated through TEL. nor any adjustments in market share as a result of the convultions that FTD membership has gone through over the last several years. As a supporting statement, My TEL rep said at one point that their volume was going up not so much as a result of members leaving FTD as one of protest against FTD by sending through TEL. This practice alone would cause changes in the % of market share as recorded by FTD volume.

87% of the market is no laughing matter, and am sure it has alot to do with what he's done over the years. But each market is different in ways from others. If I were in his market, trying to scrape up what I could of the 13% that was left. I'd have to ask myself "whats the point". Would the 2-3% I could hope to have be worth the fees associated with the program?

IMO Boss could charge 2 bucks per order and probably not lose any market share worth mentioning. Stll be highly competitive in his market. While ejoying an extended stay on some nice tropical beach. Here's to all those sweet tropical drinks and the need for dark glasses!
 
Like I said we charge $7.99 per order. When we raised it from $5.50 about five years ago a few people complained, but they still paid it. Now did they go elsewhere the next time? I don't know.

In our little blue collar city I would think I would get more complaints. It has been $7.99 for so long now, my regular customers have adjusted.

Actually, my theory is this: If a person is sending flowers, well that is a luxury. If you have enough money to send flowers most likley you can afford my relay fee too. the few that say no thank you to my fee is well made up for by the fee I do charge and the minimum I have for sending out in the first place.

No more of this, "I want to send flowers to my sister in Colorado and I want to keep the total price under $30.00" Not gonna happen in my shop. Not worth my time....

I tell everyone that calls and asks how much to send flowers out of town that it's a minimum of $45.09 out the door and WILL be higher in some areas.

When I get an IN from a florist and the price including delivery is under $35.00, it makes me CRAZY!!!

I have become a little hard-hearted over the years towards people on a budget trying to send flowers cheaply. I understand that it's the thought that counts, but come on.....
 
Two Thousand and Three, and our SENDING FEE...

is FREE!!
And it's having a pleasant impact ALREADY!!
NO CHARGE for sending orders in North America, and $16.00 for OVERSEAS Retrans.
We NEVER SEND an order below $35.00 PLUS $6.00 delivery, or higher for more rural areas!!
About to be FTD ONLY as of the end of THIS MONTH, and looking forward to the lower per incoming order cost!!
When you call our shop lines, the message is" Your orders are sending fee free,and therefore ALL orders out of the country are TAX FREE, and ALL orders out of the province are PST FREE, and our customers just LOVE IT!!
Mike:D :D
 
hi , I am new to this forum and I have been considering lowering my wire free, we charge 9.95 but that also includes a delivery fee, and we have a 30 dollar min. I have been in the business for 27 years, and that seems to be the going rate in this area. :)
 
FTD's ARE FREE !

Originally posted by JanetB
hi , I am new to this forum and I have been considering lowering my wire free, we charge 9.95 but that also includes a delivery fee, and we have a 30 dollar min. I have been in the business for 27 years, and that seems to be the going rate in this area. :)
Click to expand...

I what I use.....

Janet, first, WELCOME to our forum....

Secondly, its a marketing tool, I have been using for 10+ years.... depends on how many other shops are in your market area and what they are charging....

When I dropped my wire fee...I had about 50% of the outbouund biz for my cities....in the years since, I have moved up toward 90% average....and held it there....

I work on the theory that I can make more on the 20% and rebate than on the wire charge, with the higher volume of orders....

Marketing tool...nothing more....there are a few around here, that have just moved in this direction, I'm sure they will fill you in on their progress....

All my best.......
 
I'm going to say it again...

I really wish florists would stop offering to do things for free whether it is delivering, designing, discounting, or sending orders out of town. All are marketing tools, but they are the kind of tools your competitors ignore at their own peril. If the shop down the street offers something "free" I HAVE to do the same or lose customers. No one will order here if my neighbour offers "free delivery" and I do not or "free" sending and I do not. I believe the whole "free" concept is unwise because it will eventually come back and take a bite of your own bottom line once everyone else follows your lead. I can offer no explanation as to why "free sending" works for Boss or why the other florists in that area have not followed suit...it baffles me. If I was in his area I am sure I would have caved in the first time a customer asked! You lose your business one customer at a time.
I have heard of one smaller town near here where the shops call each other before each holiday and come to an agreement about such matters. They compete on quality and service because they know at the end of the day they have bills to pay and it's easier to do that if you haven't given everything away "free".
I spent more time than ever resolving complaints after Christmas this year...and ALL of them were on either wire orders "in" or "out". I have heard other florists say the same. As you see in another post here, charging a fee on INCOMING wire orders is a new way to help increase profits...isn't this just another response to the narrowing profit margin in this business?
So to sum up. YES I will follow any "free" offers my competitors offer so I can at least keep my customer base and feed my family, but NO I will not be the one to start the price-cutting in my neighbourhood. In my opinion in the long run it is just not good for anyone's business...theirs or mine.
 
Originally posted by Bill D
My understanding is from other chat lines that some of you are charging an incomming service fee on wire orders this is really gouging the sending florists customers . what do you think? Bill
Click to expand...

I think I am very naive. I just learned this from these boards. I never imagined florists were doing this. Now that's just plain sleezy!!! :eek:
 
are YOU hitting on me Paul??...

to make a longer story into a shorter one, we've finally paid off a HUGE debt, caused by the "stupid city of Hamilton" costing us almost everything we owned, from back in the late 80's and are "rewarding" our LOYAL customer base with "FEE FREE SENDING in 2003"!!
At the end of this year, each of these senders will recieve "loyalty cards" enabling them to accumulate "free sending" after the year 2003, not much different from video, or tanning spa's...
These are the things that make consumers raise their eyes, and "PAY" attention!!
I already have customers coming in, that I've NOT seen before, and combine that with the A1florists.com site, which offers a 5% discount on orders that originate from that site, and you can see, the tools to increase YOUR BUSINESS, are close at hand,
Do what you must...the same old don't work anymore!!
Mike
 
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