Real Florists News
Newpapers are placing various headlines on this article (which now seems to have three different versions):
Flower business not looking rosy - Miami Herald
Florists wilting on third-party services - Wilkes Barre, PA
Some florists disenchanted with wire fees - Moore Times, WI
Florists wilting from fees - Seattle Times
Are profits wilting? - Lakeland Ledger, FL
Some small florists wish wire services would wilt - Bradenton, FL
Florists fed up with high fees - News-Leader, MO
More florists going it alone - The Desert Sun, CA
Being a retail florist today is hardly a bed of roses - Asbury Park Press, NJ
Florist fight wilting profits, place blame on wire services - Akron Beacon Journal, OH
Florists avoid wire services - Boulder Daily Camera, CO
Florists feel clipped - Baltimore Sun
And my favorite -
Frustration in Full Bloom - Third party order-gatherers are pruning profits and and stirring resentment among retail florists - Houston Chronicle
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Florist are plain out stupid for filling 800 flowers and FTD.COM and Teleflora.com Orders.
How much are you making on a $39.99 order from these thieves? A baket centerpiece costs $4.50 for the basket, $1.00 for the oasis, $2.00 to green it, $2.61 for 7 carnations, $1.70 for 7 pomps, $1.12 for 4 stems of minis, filler, bow cardette, card and envelope, $2.95, $4.13 labor, .35 wrapping, for a cost of $20.36. $8.54 to deliver. Total cost to make and deliver $28.90
FTD.COM, and 800flowers gives you 72% of $39.99 which is $28.80, you have lost .10 on this order plus, they charge you to recive the order, you have now lost .85 on this order, let's not forget all the fees to belong to these services, divide them by the incoming order comes to about $1.75 per order for the average shop. You have now lost $2.60 on this order.
Why are florist struggling, can any company maintain a loss of $2.60 on every order they fill?
FTD.COM, 800 Flowers and Teleflora.com are cheating ALL florists. Their own rules say that you must transmit the delivery fee with the price of the item. All of them charge the customer $8.95 to $10.95 service/delivery charge to place an order, yet these delivery charges are never transmitted with the order.
By filling their orders you are building up their company and destroying YOURS, does this make sense.
If all florists refuse to fill their orders, where would they be?
I quit them all and my bottom line has improved 10 fold.
With flower product profits wilting, florists are forced to charge more for flowers.
Real local florists need to look at the pros and cons of going it alone without the floral wire services like 800-flowers, FTD and Teleflora. These wire services are charging the local florist too much, the local florist isn't making money.
A study by Rutgers University confirms that flowers do in fact make people happier, even men!