Proms, Corsages, and Bouts...

Proms, Corsages, and Bouts...

This is a topic we don't usually think about until the actual time of the event is upon us.  It's unlike any other event that takes place during the course of a florist's year, for many reasons, some good and some not so good.  I'd like to take a minute to discuss some of the elements that go into choosing the right florist to take care of your prom needs and how you, the customer, can prepare to make this another great floral event in your life.

You may wonder, "What goes into making a good corsage or boutonniere?" As a florist the first thing I would say is planning. Deciding what kind of corsage you want  to wear is the first step.  Are you going to carry a Tussie Mussie, which were very popular this year or are you going to go for a more traditional wrist corsage?  Are you looking to end up with a keepsake piece of jewelry or would you like some original wire work that is now available?  Have you decided on your dress - these colors will be important in making sure that you have coordinating ribbon choices? The answers to these questions should be available when you go to speak to the florist.  This makes your prom consultation so much easier.  Don't forget to give her the date of your prom and agree on a time for pick up.  She will also need your telephone number and billing information as all special orders are prepaid. Prom season is a flurry of activity, so it is best to get these details out of the way as early as possible.

The second step is your consultation.  It is your job to be ready with the answers to the above questions in order for the consult to go smoothly.  The most important part of the consult for the florist is listening and hearing what you want.  It is always fun to throw out some "fun" suggestions, but a good florist is one that will hear what you want and go with your choices. Do you want "bling", how about some baby pearls?, do you want roses or orchids or a combination of flowers? These are all choices you will need to make on the spot. You must be ready, so do your homework before you get there! 

My best suggestion is to know your local florist!   Establish a relationship with them beforehand so that you feel comfortable discussing what you really want with them.  You may want to stop by early before "prom-mania" starts and he or she can show you the types of flowers generally used,  or you can discuss any special ideas you may have.  This pre-consult visit also gives you the opportunity to take your time and look over books or pictures from previous years. During crunch time, a florist will not be able to do this, so get there early on in the season. 

And last but not least, don't wait until the last minute to place your order. Every florist wants to be able to give you the corsage of your dreams, but if you don't give them the time needed to place the order for your flowers, it can be disappointing on both ends. The florist will feel that she hasn't provided you with the experience you deserved and you may not be able to get  the exact corsage you wanted. 

Pick up day is usually one that is fun. You get to see your creation come to life, and the florist gets to see your reaction to her hard work. Many long hours go into getting that corsage from the planning stage to a "ready to wear" accessory. You are ready to go!!  Enjoy your evening out and don't forget to tag your florist in your FB photos!

Is sending flowers a waste of money?

DISCLAIMER: Let me preface this blog post by saying that I do not believe in tearing down any industry for the sake of making another group look better and that is NOT how this blog was intended. It is only my random thoughts about how giving flowers compares to other gifts and not intended to belittle any other groups or take away from the excellence of their gift products.
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Today I'd like to discuss a phrase I heard over the holidays.  "I don't like to send flowers, because they just die"  So apparently this person felt it was a waste of his money to buy flowers. At the time, I didn't come to the defense of my profession.  I was a guest and felt it inappropriate to argue the point.  As a florist, I have heard this being said more than once in my career, but this time it made me stop and think. Are flowers a waste of money??? I don't think so.

Yes, flowers DO die. They are a living part of nature. They have a beginning and an end. AND if you take proper care of them they can last and provide much joy during their "stay".

Let's looks at some of the other types of "gifts" that society has deemed appropriate as opposed to giving flowers...

For instance, chocolate. .MMMMmmm! I love chocolate but it has to be GOOD chocolate...and that runs in the same price range as flowers. So, price wise, it is comparable. You travel to your favorite Candy store and make your purchase. Happiness factor? I would give it a 10...but what about those on a diet or diabetics? Not a good choice for those guys. Now-how long does it last?  Once the box is opened, it is soon over.  Offering friends and family members a piece will destroy a box in a matter or a few days. So, the lasting quality just isn't there.

How about a nice dinner out?  Everyone loves to dine out, but it can be very expensive (a meal for ONE person can equal the price of a beautiful bouquet) and then you have to pay for the rest of the guests or yourself - doubling the cost and the experience lasts for JUST that evening. And we all know how long that meal will last and where it will end up, don't we? Happiness factor again I'd say 10 because you are spending quality time with people you love..Not bad!

Jewelry?? Now there's a gift that lasts! It is also a gift that COSTS! This is definitely a gift of choice for any special lady (a 10 for sure) BUT you need to get out that credit card, because it will take a while to pay this gift off. So, not really cost efficient, but HAS last-ability (that's a new word I just made up - not in the dictionary I'm sure)!! You can show it off to others; but then you might be considered a "show off" :) You can't go wrong with jewelry.

NOW, let's take a look at flowers from beginning to end. They are easy to order - you  don't even have to leave the house OR you can order from your desk at work OR when you are on the GO. Call or place an order via our website and BAM that task is DONE. OK, so you call to place an order...you can check the website to see about what you can get for the money you have to spend....Kelly will make you something according to your budget amount. We have done single stem Roses with greens & baby's breath for as little as $5. You can hardly buy a CARD for $5 these days. Let's say you want something DELIVERED...Our minimum for a delivered order is $35 and if you are sending to a Gap resident (our hometown) there is NO DELIVERY fee. So, the order is placed, the cost is reasonable (remember it fits YOUR budget), what's next? Kelly will put together an order fulfilling your requirements...bright and cheery? serene? whatever you require. At that point your order is delivered to "that special someone".  The recipient is HAPPY to get flowers!  If they are sent to the workplace - EVERYONE gets to see that someone cared enough to send flowers!! Then the flowers go home and once again, the happiness is shared! Pretty good bang for your buck, don't you think? They are placed with care for all to see and appreciate their beauty, time and time again. With proper care they should last a week or longer...just don't forget to change the water every 2 days and make a fresh cut so they can drink!

So...going back to the original thought here, let's take a look at the value of buying flowers for your loved ones versus other purchases.  You don't have to leave your home to order, whereas eating out or purchasing chocolates require a trip to either the store or the restaurant.  Your flowers give joy when received, as do chocolates and maybe even restaurant outings. That joy from flowers can then be shared with others - chocolates and jewelry make the grade here, but not so much the eating out experience.  And finally the longevity of the gift given...well flowers last probably a lot longer than those chocolates, and DEFINITELY longer than that meal!!!  Besides that you usually end up with a lovely container from your flowers that can be reused or recycled again and again!

Perhaps the next time I hear this being said, I WILL come to the defense of my profession and mention all the reasons stated here as examples of why buying flowers is one of the BEST uses of your money when purchasing a gift!

Easter Week 2016

This week has been a very busy one for us at Fuller's Floral & Gift Shoppe. Easter is coming up and we are reminded of the loss and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately our week has been filled with the loss of several good friends, parents of good friends, and even siblings of good friends.  At times like this it is hard to be a florist. Guiding those families through the maze of grief is such a hard thing to do.  Feeling the loss of others is just a part of being a GOOD florist. Sometimes it is impossible to make the floral arrangements without tears springing to your eyes.Then you realize that a family out there is counting on you and you have a job to finish. They depend on you to make the best of a very bad situation, just a little easier to bear. And flowers are an expression of the love they have for their person. Flowers put a bright spot in an otherwise somber occasion. They remind all of the people gathered to say their final farewells that there will be better days ahead. So to all those designers out there, I say BRAVO and Thank You for bringing sunshine into a cloudy day.

Successful Valentine's Day - even on a Sunday!

To quote an old saying there seemed to be "much ado about nothing" when it came to the fact that Valentine's Day fell on a Sunday this year. So many old timers in the business were saying that according to their records, anytime Valentine's Day fell on a Sunday, there was MUCH less business out there. It seems they rationalized that Saturday night was date night and many people would just splurge there instead of opting for flowers. They advised to order less than our normal amount to prepare for the decrease in business. Well, folks I am here to tell you that in our area, at least, they were WRONG! Not only did business boom over the entire week before Valentine's Day, it INCREASED to the point where we were sold out on Friday night, and if you hadn't PRE ORDERED your bouquet, you were left out in the cold. 

There was one segment of our normal Valentine's business that did decrease and that was our Amish trade. As we all know, the Amish do not conduct business of any sort on Sunday, so many Amish wives went flowerless for this holiday. Those lucky ladies whose husbands realized this and DID preorder were able to receive their bouquets on Saturday.

One nice thing about the holiday was that the orders seemed to be spread out over the entire week, so we were busy ALL week long with those who wanted their orders to go to the office. It was actually a nice break from the usual chaos of the one day holiday work. 

That being said, we were still bone tired by the end of it all and just happy to be looking forward to getting back to "regular" business this week.

We saw many new faces in our shop which is a good sign that we are expanding our reach. I attribute this to our Facebook presence and our membership in Gap Area Small Business Association. In days gone by, we were used mostly by "friends" or family. A new wave of customers looking for different types of arrangements have come our way. Bigger, more lavish arrangements are what the customers want now. They don't mind paying a premium price for exquisite work - and our designers don't disappoint! 

Well back to work now...after all - Easter is just around the corner!!

End of the Year Business Changes

Here we are at the end of a year and ready to jump into a new one. There are so many things to think about as a business owner when end of the year approaches. My accountant keeps me up to date on the reality of how my business is actually doing and what we may need to tweak in the upcoming year. Many of you are in the same boat I am sure. I'd like to take a moment to list a few of the things that we need to reconsider or revamp as we start into our 8th year of business here at Fuller's Floral & Gift Shoppe.

1. Our website - www.fullersfloral.net is where people go to order from our shop online. We love our site, but have decided to concentrate on bringing our own pictures onto the site instead of using the stock photos that came with the site. This is very time consuming, so we will be adding them a few at a time. This should give our customers a more realistic view of our work and how we can customize our designs to fit their needs.

2. Our business hours - we have traditionally been off on Mondays, however we are always available to take calls and/or orders that need to go out. We use Monday to get the shop back in order after a crazy weekend where we are actually working, but do not have shop hours.  Lately our Mondays have become so busy that we are considering being OPEN for shop hours. Although this sounds great as far as our bottom line goes...we all need some "down time" or we will get burnt out. For us, Mondays have always been a lifeboat in the sea of  the life of the overworked florist. This is one that we will have to think through thoroughly and weigh both the pros and cons before coming to a definite decision.

3. Our donations - like all florists, we are the first place people go to when they need or want a donation of any sort. Whether it be centerpieces or a piece to raffle off or just a goodwill gesture, these "donations" are only FREE for those recipients. They still cost the flower shop the price of the flowers, the mechanics of the arrangement (ie. the oasis, the tapes, etc.) the picks that are used, the cardettes, the card and envelopes, the containers...these are ALL part of that donation. Now you may ask, then why do we do them?? Well there are several reasons - one is to spread goodwill throughout the community, to show support for charities or businesses that we support, and also to get a little PR for our shop, which hopefully will entice customers to order from us in the future. And much to the dismay of my accountant, we, at Fuller's Floral, are ALWAYS doing donation pieces! Many times we are asked for donations by people who are not even our customers or have never ever been in our shop. There is no win/win situation there. CUSTOMERS will get consideration FIRST!  According to our accountant this practice has got to come to a HALT!!! Accountants are looking at the ROI  (Return On Investment) and unless our donations can be paired with actual sales that were generated by those donations, we will no longer be able to do them.

4. Our FREE DELIVERY policy - Don't panic we will still be delivering to our Gap, PA customers FREE OF CHARGE! These people are our neighbors and friends and they are the ones we want to serve! However, we also used to deliver FREE to all the funeral homes in our area. That practice will end on December 31, 2015. Since the Funeral Homes no longer allow families to choose the florist they want to handle the floral tributes and also direct grieving families to insist on charitable donations instead of floral tributes, as well as ONLY call upon "certain" florists, we can no longer support them. Much work goes into floral tributes and the florist has to arrive early so that the funeral directors can place the arrangements and have them ready for viewing before the family begins to arrive. These timed delivery parameters usually fall outside of regular business hours and employees must be paid for coming in early and setting up. The delivery fee will help to offset these costs.

As you can see I have touched on only a FEW of the many items that come up at year end when you are in business...we will talk about a few others in my next blog.

Today I'd like to talk about funeral flowers and what's happening there.  One of my biggest pet peeves in the floral industry is that for about the past 2 decades Funeral Directors have been publishing "in lieu of flowers" in the obituaries of our dearly departed loved ones.  This statement gives the impression that the family doesn't WANT flowers, which is just not true. For years there was a "flower car" which followed the hearse to the grave site from the Funeral Home.  That car was filled with gorgeous arrangements sent from loved ones and also those who could not personally be present for the services. These flowers were sent to show respect and love for the deceased. I always felt that the flowers helped to comfort the grieving family and provided a bright spot in what otherwise would be a rather dismal occasion. That entire scenario is only a memory. There are no more "flower cars". I think my age is showing...But don't you wonder WHY??
Skip forward to today - where Funeral Directors actually try to deter the bereaved families from ordering flowers from their local florist because they now control an interest in the floral industry. (check out their websites). These websites are provided to the Funeral Homes FREE from major Wire Services such as Teleflora and FTD, so that all orders are sent through them.  Flowers present a job that the FD's must handle. Therefore they want only to handle "their" flowers from "their" websites. Floral tributes have been cut to a minimum. Usually the family has a total of 3 pieces- chosen from the website collection. We have seen this happen in our own very small local community as well as those in the big cities. Unless you absolutely insist that you want your local florist to handle the flowers, you will be caught up in this self serving plot.
So what is left to do??? Sending flowers to the home is a great option.  Many people are sending plants, dish gardens, planters, and other floral tributes to the homes of those families who have suffered a loss. It allows the sender to choose when they want to send their memorial without the constraints of having to get the piece to the funeral home in time for the service.This is a good alternative and allows the grief stricken family to enjoy the flowers at a less emotional time. At Fuller's Floral we always incorporate fresh cut flowers in among the greenery of the plants. Many times we will add a tasteful bow or include an angel statue, depending on what the sender would like. This always seems to bring a smile to the face of those receiving the living plant in memory of their loved ones.
In conclusion I would like to note that sending flowers of any type is a wonderful way of saying that you cared for the deceased and they will be missed in your life. And to those who are publishing "in lieu of..." please consider my suggestion. It is just as easy to write an obituary stating that floral memorials and/or donations to their charity may be made in honor of the deceased party. Just those two words - and/or - will give people the choice to make this decision for themselves.

What's happening at Fuller's Floral? I just read a statement that blogging helps increase your SEO and I had forgotten all about this blog until then! So I am going to try to keep up with at least one blog a month from now until the end of the year...Let's see how I do.

Today at the shop we have lots to do! We are running a SUPER SPECIAL today - a dozen roses for only $10...We could never normally run a great special like this, but we have been testing roses for our new business venture and have them available to us. We like to spread the sunshine around, so hopefully some of our customers will take advantage of this deal!

Another great deal when you order from Fuller's Floral is that we DELIVER FREE to our residents with a Gap, PA address. This can save you from $7.00 - $10.00 which is a fabulous deal that no other florist in our area provides.  Many times when the customer finds out we have FREE delivery in the Gap area, they will add that amount to the flowers they are getting - which allows them to send an even bigger bouquet for the same money!

Ok folks! Well I hope you have enjoyed my first blog in a long time...but definitely NOT my last!