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I guess I'm surprised there is that big of a dent just from those stores having flowers. When I send flowers, I want them arranged and delivered. Something WalMart can't do. If I buy flowers at WalMart, it's as an impulse purchase that I wouldn't have made at my florist anyways.
Actually the problem Florists are having is because they sell their labor too cheaply.
If you take the same statement and attribute it to doughnuts I can illustrate what I mean.
You can go to WalMart (or any other grocery outlet) and purchase flour, sugar and yeast. There is a difference between puchasing a bag of flour, sugar and pack of yeast as a grocery and combining them into a dough, and making them into a doughnut.
A dozen doughnuts costs more than the raw materials to make 10 dozen. However, when it comes to flowers, people want to know how much a rose costs, then in their head, they multiply that by 12 and expect you to "throw them into a vase" at no extra cost.
While I respect those of you who have acknowledged there is a difference between purchasing the item in bulk and having them arranged and delivered, most people who are in the market for the item at the moment do not understand the difference.
When I run into someone who has a problem with the differential in pricing, I always offer them the option of purchasing in bulk to be picked up and delivered by themselves but, they do not quite get the difference. It is not unusual to get dismissed as a smart ass unable to satisfy their needs even though I am trying to accomidate the request they are making.
I long for a Lions team that is consistently competitive.
Actually the problem Florists are having is because they sell their labor too cheaply.
If you take the same statement and attribute it to doughnuts I can illustrate what I mean.
You can go to WalMart (or any other grocery outlet) and purchase flour, sugar and yeast. There is a difference between puchasing a bag of flour, sugar and pack of yeast as a grocery and combining them into a dough, and making them into a doughnut.
A dozen doughnuts costs more than the raw materials to make 10 dozen. However, when it comes to flowers, people want to know how much a rose costs, then in their head, they multiply that by 12 and expect you to "throw them into a vase" at no extra cost.
While I respect those of you who have acknowledged there is a difference between purchasing the item in bulk and having them arranged and delivered, most people who are in the market for the item at the moment do not understand the difference.
When I run into someone who has a problem with the differential in pricing, I always offer them the option of purchasing in bulk to be picked up and delivered by themselves but, they do not quite get the difference. It is not unusual to get dismissed as a smart ass unable to satisfy their needs even though I am trying to accomidate the request they are making.
I totally get what you are saying. Here's one kinda makes me laugh eveyrtime I think about.
I go to the guys house for an appointment. I get there measure things out and quote him $220. He gets downright upset.
"Oh that's way too much you have to come down from that. How about $100"
Well I already spent near $20 in gas getting there + :45 mins of my time $20 in gas back another :45 mins so I'm out $40 and 1 1/2 hours if I just walk away. I do some quick math in my head chemicals gas my costs not counting any for labor is going to be about $100 So I say.
"Well I'll tell you what I'll do it for $150 but no less!" So I get $50 bucks for 1/2 a day pretty well sucks but better then a negative $40! He agrees I do the Job then after he pays he just has to tell me
"My brother tried a carpet cleaning biz about a year ago he went under in 6 months" Yeah I bet he ran into a lot of jerks just like you!
"When I run into someone who has a problem with the differential in pricing, I always offer them the option of purchasing in bulk to be picked up and delivered by themselves but, they do not quite get the difference. It is not unusual to get dismissed as a smart ass unable to satisfy their needs even though I am trying to accomidate the request they are making."
--------------------------I feel for you buddy and although I've never done this in the flower industry, I think I'm guilty in other venues. I can't put a finger on them at the moment. What I do know is I've been in situations where I've tried to barter a lower price knowing I could get something cheaper at a "conglomerate". I usually stay with the specialist and buy from them however because I know it's "usually" a better product. What surprises me is the number of indignant salespeople who get pissed off and act like assholes because I'm trying to barter. They never get my business. I'm a different egg though. I'm all for paying the least amount for a product but I'm also for for supporting local business and the small business man. I'll pay more money if you treat me right and I'll be loyal. I also believe that loyalty is going by the wayside. Business' use to get much of their return business on loyalty and little benefits. That doesn't mean shit anymore. Where ever it's cheaper is the thing. I remember when I was a kid and I needed a pin for my watch band. I went into a jeweler and he fixed it. I asked him how much he wanted and he said nothing. I would have always gone back there, despite what transpired thereafter, and I did. That impressed me. I think much of that is lost on today's society. Maybe I'm wrong Malto????
Well todays economics have forced people to be cost conscious.
In my industry, the problem is that people do not value the skill and expertise it takes to do the job. They view the purchase as a superfluous one and want to get out of it with the smallest expenditure possible but, make the largest impact possible. I really do not have a problem with that and in fact, believe it is my job to help them accommodate that as I am more familiar with the product than they are.
A typical conversation at my counter would go like this:
Man walks in and is greeted.
He: How much is a dozen roses?
Me: Leading him over to the cooler where the roses are displayed, Well, we have medium stemmed roses and long stemmed roses, they can be wrapped or arranged in a vase with filler. Which ones were you looking for?
He: How much are they?
Me: Medium stemmed roses are $9.95 wrapped, $35.00 arranged in a vase with filler. Long stemmed roses are $30.00 wrapped, $50.00 arranged in a vase with filler.
He: How come so much of a difference?
Me: When we arrange them in a vase, you have to pay for the extra greens we use, filler, vase and labor.
He: How much if I just buy the vase?
Me: If you want to purchase a vase in addition to the roses they run $3.50 for one that will fit the medium stems and $4.50 for one that will fit the long stems.
He: How come it costs so much for you to do it?
Me: Think of it in terms like this. If you have a leaky faucet in your sink, you can go to the hardware store and buy a washer to fix it for under $5.00. If you call a plumber to fix it you are probably going to spend somewhere between $65.00 and $90.00. Why? Because you get charged for his travel time, as well as the time he spends making the repair even though it will take him much less time to do the repair than you, you will pay a minimum amount of labor to him. We charge for our labor also because we have mortgage, health insurance, and raising a family expenses just like everyone else.
He: Give me the medium stems wrapped. That's 10 bucks, right?
Me: Yes, and I will enclose a care card that should be followed closely when you put them in the vase so that you get the maximum amount of life out of them. What color would you like?
He: What colors do you have?
Me: Pointing to the buckets of roses that are right in front of us while this conversation is going on, These are the colors that are available today.
I am fortunate in as much as I have a customer base of about 1100 customers who have been sent a bill at one time or another. Of those 1100, about 300 are fiercely loyal and will make a purchase at least 3 times a year. I can only track the customers that we bill, I have a number of regular customers that prefer to pay by credit card and order regularly also and I have recently learned how to tweak my POS program to track their habits, also.
So, DanO, that is a long winded answer to say that I believe there is still a degree of loyalty to the small businessman out there but I will qualify that by saying that the loyal ones are generally over the age of 35. Younger consumers are more likely to be less loyal and jump around from place to place when making their purchases.
I long for a Lions team that is consistently competitive.
have enjoyed the past three weeks doing rehab on the shoulder. It is feeling like it is normal but I am not pushing it real hard, doing alot of stretching, light weights and finding time for the treadmill.. lost four pounds but if i look hard enough I think I might find them... other than that life is good, me and mrs. stee celebrated thirty years of marrital bliss and hopefully thirty more...
Thirty years of marital bliss? Oh wait, I get it. Mrs Stee was looking over your shoulder when you wrote that.
That's great though since a lot of marriges don't make it into double digets in years anymore. We celebrated (went through) our 40th this year. Of course she married the perfect guy. (:
I'm actually surprised she hasn't left me or shot me over the years.
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