NEW Features For Our Website!

When we first built our website, (http://flowerhut.com) over 10 years ago, the only devices available were desktop computers. That situation has changed.

We just contracted with 1Choice to do a complete re-do so that our site will be *much easier to use* for all devices - whether they are desktops, laptops, tablets or smartphones.

That work sould be done in a week or so, and we hope this will result in a *easier buying experience* for all our customers!

How To Get The FRESHEST FLOWERS!

Before there were flower shops, people either grew their own flowers in a garden, or picked them from the wild. But today’s “flower fancier’ has many different ways to acquire beautiful flowers. In this short article, we will review the pros and cons of the various ways that consumers can purchase fresh flowers.

Where Do Flowers Come From?

Up until about twenty years ago, it was common to see small businesses with a name like, “Susy’s Florist & Greenhouse.”  “Susy” usually had a small facility in front with a work bench, display cooler and cash register. When customers came in, it was common to see Susy go back into the Greenhouse to cut some flowers for a custom-made bouquet.

However, as land and energy costs increased, it became less and less practical for this type of operation to survive.

Today, a large portion of the flowers consumed in the US and almost all the roses -- are grown in the highlands of Colombia and Ecuador. The soil is rich, there is ample water, labor costs are low, and the growing season is 365 days long. And by non-stop jet airliner, these locations are just a few hours away from “gateway” cities like Miami.

From these cities, the flowers are distributed to wholesalers, large retailers and a scant handful of retail florists like the Flower Hut, a Charlotte Florist.

Unfortunately, all these processes take time. So there is a genuine risk that once-fresh flowers may deteriorate to the point that their vase life is shortened – sometimes dramatically!

So… How can growers ship fragile flowers worldwide without having them DIE prematurely?

The solution to the problem already exists. It is the reason why we can enjoy FRESH fruits and vegetables even when they were grown and shipped hundreds or thousands of miles from farms to the supermarket.

Cold Chain To The Rescue!

From the moment that vegetables are picked until the time they are purchased by the consumer, vegetables and most fruit are kept under refrigeration. This process is cold the Cold Chain.

It has been adopted, for the most part, by the Floral Industry.

But… there are problems!

In order to keep flowers as fresh as possible, they must be kept as close above freezing (32 degrees F) as possible. (Except for tropical flowers, like Orchids, that are best stored at around 45 Degrees.)

It is potentially dangerous to store fresh flower at 33 degrees. Even a slight malfunction in the cooling system will FREEZE the flowers. So most Floral Coolers are set to keep the flowers at about 36 to 40 degrees F.

That’s what we do at the Flower Hut, and we have an excellent reputation for providing Charlotte Flowers with outstanding freshness.

A broken Cold Chain

There are at least two flower distribution methods that FAIL to maintain proper temperatures.

The first failure is found at many RETAIL establishments that use Open-To-The-Air floral displays. These typically maintain the flower stems at about 40 degrees. The flower heads however are nearly at room temperature! Shown below are some actual Ryobi Laser temperature measurements that the author obtained at some local stores:

1.       Walmart:

A. Air temperature: 78 Degrees F

B. Flower Temperature: 54 to 68 Degrees F

2.       Harris Teeter:

A. Air temperature: 72 Degrees F

B. Flower Temperature: 58 Degrees F

3.       Costco:

A. Air temperature: 72 Degrees F

B. Flower Temperature: 42 to 66 Degrees F

Clearly, if flowers are stored at these elevated temperatures, flower life will be dramatically reduced!

The second failure is found with establishments like 1-800-flowers or ProFlowers that ship in-a-box flowers direct-to-customers. With this distribution method, the cold chain is broken – often dramatically.

That’s because delivery companies like Fed Ex and UPS do not maintain temperature control in their aircraft, distribution centers nor their vehicles. Even worse, if the recipient is not home, the flowers will be left at the door.

And that means that the flowers will quickly “cook” in warm weather or “freeze” in cold weather.

Local Florists Are Your Best Choice

Local florists, like the Flower Hut,  are aware of these issues. They do their best to maintain the cold chain as intact as possible. And FRESHER FLOWERS is ultimately what all of us want!

For additional information, please visit the Flower Hut website http://flowerhut.com  From there, you may purchase Charlotte Flowers from a REAL Charlotte Florist!

BUT, if you do not want flowers delivered to Charlotte, Matthews, Mint Hill or Pineville, NC, please do NOT order from us! Take the time to find a REAL florist in the town where you need flowers delivered.  You’ll be glad you did!

-30 -

How Third Party Floral Middlemen CHEAT The Public

Nobody would be foolish enough to knowingly purchase PIZZA using a third party call-center middleman. But every day, thousands of people do exactly that when they purchase flowers for delivery!

And that means most flower buyers pay as much as 50% MORE than they should pay!

When we are hungry for a Pizza, chances are we will use a smart communication device to search for something like: “(mytown) Pizza,” or perhaps, “(mytown) Pizzaria,” in a few seconds, the Google (or other) search engine will display a page full of results.

There are two types of search results, “Organic” and “Paid.”

Organic results are “earned” because of a complex mix of factors found in each competing website.  Among these are relevance of the website to the search terms “Pizza” and “(mytown).”  The higher the website’s relevance, the closer the website will be to the top of the Organic list.

Paid results are pay-per-click advertising. They are often found at the top of the page. (After all, the search engine company gets paid every time a consumer clicks on an advertisement.) Thus, the consumer sees these Paid ads before he sees the Organic results.

The organic search results will include both Independent Pizzerias and National Chains, but the result IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME. If the customer orders online, essentially 100% of the purchase price goes to the local shop. And the customer gets the same pizza – at the same price -- as he would have gotten if he had gone personally into the local shop.

The situation is completely different for flowers. If a customer types in, for example, “(mytown) flowers” or “mytown florist,” he will get a similar list of results – Paid results first; Organic results second.

This is where the similarity between Pizza and Flowers ends.

People almost never send Pizza as a gift. People almost always send flowers as a gift. And the recipient may be local to the sender, or she may be in another city & state.

Before the internet, flower gift-givers would usually place their orders with a local florist that would transfer the order over a private floral network. , At least three such networks exist: FTD, Teleflora and 1-800-FLOWERS/Bloomnet.

Running the network was expensive for all concerned. Traditionally, the Network managing company charged a monthly access fee to each florist wanting to send or receive orders to/from florists in other cities. Also, the Network charged a transfer fee of 7% of the value of each order and the sending shop received a 20% credit on the gross value of every order they sent.

These credits or charges are reconciled each month. In those days, it was fairly common for the net value of incoming orders to roughly equal the value of outgoing orders.  Customers’ needs were being satisfied.

Many sending shops, in order to get some immediate cash flow, began adding a “handling charge” of between $5 and $15.

When all the “smoke” clears, the receiving florist ends up getting paid about $0.70 for every dollar that the customer spent on flowers. And, because the sending florist also added as much as $15 for handling, the receiving florist ends up getting just a bit more than HALF what the customer spent!

But, in the “old days,” only a small percent of a customer’s orders went through these floral networks. So the negative effect was minimal, and was dealt with on a case-by-case basis if a customer complained to his local florist.

FAST FORWARD to the internet.

Consumers quickly learned that they could usually get GREAT BARGAINS buying everything from Aspirin to Zithers online.  Certainly, that should be true of flowers.

But it was not.

Both Florists and Floral network owners began advertising online. Many established separate operating companies based solely on advertising, beautiful photos, e-savvy marketing and low-cost offshore call centers.

They offered beautiful Flowers, hand-delivered by a LOCAL florist – often at ridiculously low prices. And they were TAX FREE (unlike what local florists could offer.) But the prices often did not include the Handling Charge, same-day special handling charge, Saturday delivery charge etc. All of those extra charges were kept by the sending “florist.”

Customers began to notice the *huge* discrepancy between what they were getting for their money and what they *thought* they should be getting.  And they voted with their pocketbooks.

Over the last 7 years, some 40% of the REAL florists in the US went out of business.

But these “Phony Florists” have been undeterred. As an example, I Googled the search term: "Adak Alaska Florist." The top 8 "hits" were from "florists" offering to deliver flowers for me. All of these are Call Center Floral Middlemen.

Adak is an Island near the end of the Aleutions. The Population is about 250!

Additional information about these Phony Florists can be found at the Flower Hut website: http://flowerhut.com

 

BUY LOCAL FOR BETTER PRICE & QUALITY!

BUY LOCAL FOR BETTER PRICE!

Did you know that when you purchase flowers from an OUT-OF-STATE flower marketer, -- like Teleflora, FTD or 1-800-Flowers, Just Flowers, Wesley Berry and many others -- you are paying them BIG BUCKS to find a REAL florist (Like the Flower Hut) to fill your order?

That’s right. When you order from an Internet marketer, all they do is extract a HUGE COMMISSION and then PASS THE ORDER to a REAL Florist for design and delivery!

What does that mean to you?

Here's an example: The Teleflora Happy Face Bouquet is $39.95 on Teleflora's website. BUT they ADD a Handling Fee of around $14.99 (and MUCH MORE at Holidays!) Your total cost is $54.94!

Buy direct from the Flower Hut’s website, http://flowerhut.com and we knock 20% off OUR $39.99 price for a net $31.99. We don't add a Handling Fee but we add a delivery charge of $10.50 and local sales tax. You pay Flower Hut $45.57.

YOU SAVE $9.37...that's a 17% saving!

BUY LOCAL FOR BETTER QUALITY!

But there is MORE to the story than just saving money.

Remember the Happy Face above? After Teleflora takes your $54.94, they pick a Teleflora member florist in Charlotte  -- like Flower Hut -- KEEP the $14.99 handling charge, extract a 20% commission and send us the order for design and delivery. But it gets worse!

They ALSO extracts an additional (roughly) 10% in transmission fees. So the member florist ends up with just $27.97 to MAKE & DELIVER an item that YOU PAID $54.94 for!

SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE! And that “Something” is CUSTOMER SATISFACTION!

Did you know that ALL the major Wire Services -- Teleflora, FTD and 1-800-FLOWERS, are rated by Yahoo! Shopping at just over 1 STAR!

 

RUSH LIMBAUGH & 1-800-FLOWERS

Rush...

 

You wouldn’t use a Middleman to help you buy a pizza, or a wristwatch or window blinds, would you? So why are you urging your loyal listeners to BUY FLOWERS that way?

But that’s what you do when you personally endorse 1-800-FLOWERS.

With the exception of a scant handful of franchised or wholly-owned shops, 1-800-FLOWERS do not SUPPLY any flowers. Instead, in coordination with Bloomnet – their order relay network – they TAKE as much as 50% of the customer’s money in FEES & COMMISSIONS. Then they pass the now-heavily-discounted order to a REAL LOCAL FLORIST for design and delivery.

And local florists are POWERLESS to compete because 1-800-FLOWERS has no Cost Of Goods Sold, no inventory, no designers and no delivery people.  Almost their ONLY COST is for advertising!

Since 1988, when you championed the “bake sale,” you have been (verbally) a staunch supporter of SMALL independent businesses.

Please, Rush. Put your money where your mouth is and STOP recommending Middleman companies whose actions are destroying local businesses!

Would you buy from a 1-Star florist?

OF COURSE NOT... If you knew about it. Go to this link: and enter FTD. You will find a range of products along with a STAR rating. Click on the rating to read some of the customer comments. Now do the same thing with TELEFLORA and 1-800-Flowers. You'll find that ALL TREE of these NATIONAL FLORISTS have the same appallingly poor ratings. BUY LOCAL!

Exporting NC Jobs?

"If you search online for Valentines Flowers, ALL the top listings will be from "National Florists." And if you purchase from ANY of them, you will be EXPORTING NC Jobs! Why? First, there is no such thing as a "National Florist." ALL these operations are Out Of State Floral Marketeers. NONE of them OWN any NC Flower shops! And ALL of them keep HUGE Commissions (as much as 50% OR MORE!) on each sale. Then these marketeers SEND your order (and what’s left of your money) to a REAL Charlotte-area florist for hand-crafting and delivery. Put simply, if you want to get your money's worth, BUY FROM A LOCAL FLORIST. If you do, 100% of your order value will be applied to Flowers and Delivery. And ALL your money will STAY in the local area! BTW... Local Florist prices are usually MUCH lower! That's especially true at the Flower Hut. Order online for local delivery -- or pickup -- and the little man that lives in our website automatically subtracts 20% off the prices that we copied from the Teleflora website! And there is NO SERVICE CHARGE!

Flower Power

Overview:


Through the ages, flowers have been the inspiration of great works of art, poetry and music. We give flowers to express love, joy, congratulations, sadness and grief. In this piece, we will examine the role that flowers play in the world and in our lives. We will consider the meaning of flowers, analyze famous quotations, design a flower garden, learn about flower poems and paintings and maybe even write a poem!


The Secret Meaning of Flowers


Flowers have a language of their own and that throughout the course of history people have attached meanings to flowers to communicate messages.


Shown below are two columns. One is for various flower types. The other represents their traditional meaning.
Can you pair these flowers with their meanings?
Flowers Meanings

Daisy Peace
Forget-me-not Endurance
Cactus Childishness
Iris Pride, sunshine
Sunflower Faithfulness, virtue
Violet Good fortune
Apple blossom Wisdom, faith, hope
Buttercup Good luck, be mine
Four-leaf-clover True love, good memories
Olive branch Loyal love, innocence




Answers: Daisy: loyal love, innocence, Forget-me-not: true love, good memories, Cactus: endurance, Iris: wisdom, faith, hope, Sunflower: pride, sunshine, Violet: faithfulness, virtue, Apple blossom: good fortune, Buttercup: childishness, Four-leaf-clover: Good luck, be mine, Olive Branch: peace


Remember: These are traditional meanings. Different cultures often have different meanings!

Flower Quotations
Here are a variety of quotations, attributed to different people and different cultures. How do you feel about these?

Flower Quotations
Here are a variety of quotations, attributed to different people and different cultures. How do you feel about these?

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck."
- Emma Goldman


"Where flowers bloom so does hope."
- Lady Bird Johnson


"The world is a rose; smell it and pass it to your friends."
- Persian Proverb


"The earth laughs in flowers."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson


Different Gardens


Shown below are several different types of gardens. Also shown are resources where you may look up how to structure a specific type of garden.


* Drought tolerant garden
* Fragrance garden
* Edible garden
* Deer Resistant garden
* Color (yellow/orange, blue/purple, or cream/white) garden
* Shade garden
* Full sun garden
* Bird or butterfly garden


* Cornell's Home Gardening Website http://www.explore.cornell.edu/scene.cfm?scene=Home%20Gardening


* The United States National Arboretum Website http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/gardeningr.html


* Perkins & Jackson's Garden-Inspired Living Website
http://www.jacksonandperkins.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/CategoryDisplay?cgmenbr=201&cgrfnbr=2


* Burpee Website http://www.burpee.com/jump.jsp?itemType=GATEWAY&itemID=9
This site contains a "Growing Zone Finder" to guide students in determining what plants will grow in their area.

Flower Poems and Paintings


The Poem Hunter website is an excellent resource for flower poems. http://www.poemhunter.com/poems/flower/




The ARTCYCLOPEDIA website provides examples and links to Georgia O' Keeffe's flower paintings. http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/okeeffe_georgia.html


The Japanese often write haiku poems about flowers. A traditional Japanese haiku has a total of seventeen syllables divided into three lines:


First line: five syllables Second line: seven syllables Third line: five syllables


Can you write a haiku about flowers?


The Flower Hut is a Charlotte Florist located in Charlotte, NC. We have been supplying floral arrangements and fresh flowers since 1988, and enjoy sharing floral ideas with our friends and neighbors.


The Flower Hut
6300 C E. Independence Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28212

Long Lasting Flowers

A few weeks ago, a man came into our store accompanied by his young daughter. He placed his order and, as I was wrapping up his roses, I heard the following exchange:

Girl: "Daddy, what's the difference between Supermarket Roses and Flower Hut Roses?"

Daddy: "About a week."

He was right, but why?

Chances are, the Supermarket roses are pre-wrapped at some "flower factory." Then they are shipped -- often by non-air-conditioned truck -- to the store. There, they may be stored in the same cooler with fruits and vegetables. Finally, they are plopped into water -- often without being recut -- in a display cooler until sold.

From start to finish, there are several errors. First, the "flower factory" receives their flowers direct from the growers -- just like the Flower Hut. Then, they are dry-wrapped and placed in storage until they have an order. During this (undetermined) time, the roses are slowly dehydrating. When they are shipped, they loose even more moisture. At the Supermarket, if they are dry-stored with fruits and vegetables, they are exposed to ethylene gas that is a natural by product of fruits and veggies. Simply stated, Ethylene is to roses what carbon monoxide is to humans.

When they are put out for sale, the store may cut the stems before placing them in the display cooler. If they do not cut them, the dried-out stem ends will not absorb water. Even if they are cut, they may not be placed in water immediately. And that is important, since UC Davis studies have shown that if a rose is recut but not placed in watter almost immediately (10 seconds or less) then the stem will oxidize shut and the rose's ability to absorb water is greatly reduced.

Finally, when the roses are on display, only the stems are refrigerated. The heads and foliage remain at or near room temperature.

Each one of these errors can dramatically reduce rose life.

In contrast, the Flower Hut receives almost all its roses direct from the growers -- via Miami. But they are flown to Charlotte, not sent by truck. And they are kept in cold storage until we pick them up.

When we receive them, they are re-cut, placed in special hydrating solutions, and stored at 35 degrres F in our HUGE walk-in cooler until we sell them. And we never allow fruit or vegetables in our coolers! And we never pre-wrap our roses.

New Website

In response to a number of requests, we have increased the quantity of items online. We have also diversified our line to include more non-wire-service items.

We did this by adding a second website. Please visit our new site at Charlotte Flowers from a Charlotte Florist
BUT we know that some items -- like the "Happy Face" -- are popular in all environments. So expect to see a few "old standbys" mixed in with the new addirions!

Please let us know how you like the "new look."

New FREE Wedding Flower Planner Available

One of the biggest problems facing many brides-to-be is that there was no "easy" way to figure out "how many of what" they need for their wedding.

Well, all of that just changed! Just go to the wedding section our website, http://flowerhut.com/frweflpl.html and DOWNLOAD our FREE Wedding Flower Planner.

OR call us at 800-525-3162 or email us at sales@flowerhut.com.

This useful new document allows the bride to figure out what she needs in the privacy of her own home. It also conains 7 FREE ideas on how to maximize her floral value and eliminate un-needed costs! An added benefit are the SAMPLE weddings that also contain BUDGETARY line-item pricing.

Once the bride has her planning form filled out, and fabric swatches (samples) in hand, she can make an appointment to meet with one of our bridal consultants who will finalize the quotation and fine tune the bride's floral package.

Illegal NC Florists

Would you buy flowers from someone that you KNEW was doing something illegal?

If you are like most people, the answer is NO!


But that is what is happening RIGHT NOW in North Carolina.


That's because there is a new law on the NC books.This law -- Senate Law 2009-199 -- is designed to protect consumers of perishable goods -- such as flowers -- from deceptive advertising practices. This law became effective October 1, 2009.


Basically, it makes it illegal to misrepresent a business's location such that consumers are led to believe that the business is located in a town where it is not actually located. There are very stiff penalties for violation.


The law may be viewed and printed out at:


http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions...PDF/S625v3.pdf


On October Second, I wrote the NC Department of Justice regarding several deceptive advertisemnts that I found online. Now its time for others to "chip in."

I urge ALL NC florists and intertested consumers to research their “Yellow” directories as well as doing a search for: “Florist In YOUR CITY”. Accumulate a list and write the NC Department of Justice with this information and a request that the DOJ take action against these Deceptive Advertisers.

The NCDOJ contact information is:

State Of NC
Department of Justice
9001 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-9001

Attention: Julie D. Daniel

When you write, please be as specific as possible with regard to the website URL and company name/address.

Bill Miller

Owner

The Flower Hut

Solving The Economy's Problems

This is from an article in the St. Petersburg Times. The Business Section asked readers for ideas on

"How Would You Fix the Economy?"

Dear Mr. President,

Please find below my suggestion for fixing America's economy. Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan.

You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan:

There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force. Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:

1) They MUST retire. Forty million job openings - Unemployment fixed.

2) They MUST buy a new American CAR. Forty million cars ordered. - Auto Industry fixed.

3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage. - Housing Crisis fixed.

It can't get any easier than that!

P.S. If more money is needed, have all members in Congress and their constituents pay their taxes...

Mr. President, while you're at it, make congress retire on Social Security and Medicare. I'll bet both programs would be fixed pronto!

Deceptive "National" Florists

Have you ever gone online to search for "Florist In Charlotte?' If so, you probably noticed that both ORGANIC (ie natural Search Engine) and PAID results included names that you did not recognize as being local flower shops. In many instances, that's because they are DECEPTIVE "National" Florists.



These folks tailor both their Search Activities AND their Websites to make it APPEAR that they are either IN Charlotte OR have some kind of "special relationship" with selected local florists.

It ain't so!

Here is what REALLY happens. These folks are usually "call centers." Based on some orders we have seen from them, many of their personnel may have never seen a flower before! They put STANDARD (but often re-named) FTD, Teleflora and/or 1-800-FLOWERS bouquets online with prices that INCLUDE a $7 delivery charge. (Most Charlotte florists charge about $10.)



But these online florists DECEPTIVELY do not tell you about the $7.



When you check out -- they add about $15 for "Delivery and Handling." But they don't charge tax (in violation of NC law) so the customer THINKS he's GETTING A BARGAIN.

But is he?


Lets follow the money. Assume a $50 (total) purchase by an unsuspecting customer. The "National" Florist POCKETS the $15 Delivery and Handling charge. That leaves $35. THEN, they put the order on the FTD, Teleflora or 1-800-FLOWERS Wire Service network where it is sent to a REAL Charlotte Florist. But the florist doesn't receive $35. Instead, the "National" florist KEEPS a 20% ($7) SALES COMMISSION and the Wire Service network keeps another 10%($3.50.)



So, the REAL florist ends up with $50-$15-$7-$3.50 = $24.50. After the REAL florist deducts $10 to cover the delivery charge, he ends up with $14.50 to make an arrangement!

But the customer paid $50!


THAT is why consumers are being ROBBED bt these unscrupulously DECEPTIVE "National" florists!

The Police Impressed Me!

About two weeks ago, we pulled up to the store and found one of the front windows shattered. Obviously, we had experienced a break-in!We were concerned that the intruder might still be inside, so we waited until the police arrived.

With guns at the ready, they entered and declared the premises secure.The burglar had CRAWLED under the motion detectors to the cash box, pried it open, took our petty cash, and crawled back out. What was stolen in cash was FAR LESS than the cost to replace the big plate glass window.

We've experienced break-ins before, and have never had any of the intrusions resolved. So, we were less than excited when the CSI crew (yes, there really is a CSI group in Charlotte) arrived, dusted the box for prints, pulled some blood drops for analysis, and left a half-hour later.

Yesterday, a plain clothes officer arrived with a complaint form for me to sign. He had a big grin on his face. "We caught her," he said.

"Her?" I asked.

He nodded. "We had three other break-ins that night -- all in your area. I thought they might have been done by the same person -- and that person might be out on parole with an ankle bracelet. So I checked the electronic records, and found that one of the bracelets had been near EACH of the four break-ins at about the right time. And that bracelet was issued to a lady parolee with a long history of drug abuse and thefts to support her habit"

"I didn't know that the tracking was so precise," I prompted.

He nodded again. "With this data, at the very least, the lady was in violation of her home-release conditions. So we visited her and explained the evidence that we had obtained -- including the blood whose DNA would certainly link her to the Flower Hut theft. She confessed to all four burglaries, we arrested her, and I suspect that she'll be away for a long time."

I shook his hand. "I AM impressed," I said.

And I still am.

What's The Difference Between Supermarket Flowers and Florist Flowers?

That's the question asked by the young son of a walk-in customer recently. The gentleman smiled and said, "About 5 days."

THIS was a very astute customer!

But it occurred to me that he might not know WHY "Supermarket Flowers" do not last as long as "Florist Flowers." After all, they all come from pretty much the same place.

The primary difference, I believe, is in what happens AFTER the Supermarket receives the flowers. In pretty much every supermarket that I have seen, their flowers are displayed in open air coolers. Most florists keep their ready-to-sell flowers in enclosed coolers.

This seems like a pretty minor detail. But is it?

In an open air cooler, only the stem ends are cooled. The blooms and foliage are in a brightly lit environmentand and are at at ROOM TEMPERATURE.

It is a well known fact that bright light stimulates flowers to bloom. And, if the blooms and foliage are at room temperature, they will start to "age" as soon as they are put on display.

There may be other factors. One MIGHT be that florists are trained in floral preparation. That means that they are more likely to know the proper steps that are needed in order to properly prepare cut flowers for display.

The TRUTH about "Flowers From $29.99"

Starting at Valentine's Day and continuing through Easter and Mother's Day, we saw major National FLOWER BROKERS such as FTD, Teleflora and 1-800-FLOWERS advertising "Flowers from $29.99" (or some such.) The fact is that this is a "come on" and a "gimmick."

Here is why.

First, the price they show IS NOT THE PRICE YOU PAY!

ALL these BROKERS add a "service/delivery charge" of around $14. So your "$29.99 flowers end up costing you about 50% MORE -- around $44!

Second, let's look at the numbers. The Flower Brokers INCLUDE about $7 in that $29.99 price for delivery. After the (roughly) 30% BROKER COMMISSION is deducted from the price, that leaves the INDEPENDENT FLORIST (like the Flower Hut) that receives the order and fills and delivers it about $21. (WE don't even get the $7 delivery fee since that is ALSO reduced by 30% to about $5.)

By the way, the $14 "service/delivery" charge is almost NEVER sent to the local florist! Instead, that fee simply adds to the BROKER's PROFIT!

So that leaves about $16 for the INDEPENDENT FLORIST to buy the flowers and container, pay a floral craftsperson to make it -- at a PROFIT.

Many/most PROFESSIONAL florists have a MINIMUM net order size of about $25 to $30 dollars PLUS a DELIVERY FEE of $7 to $12.

So... what type of flower shop is likely to ACCEPT and FILL an order from a Flower Broker for $29.99 GROSS; $21 NET??

Is THIS the kind of shop that you want to TRUST to convey YOUR feelings of love and affection?

Floral Code Of Ethics

Perhaps one of the problems in the floral industry is that there is no agreement as to what constitutes proper or improper behavior. So, here is my "stab" at a Floral Code Of Ethics.

Comments ARE WELCOME!
*************************************************

FLORAL CODE OF ETHICS

Companies engaged in the sale of Floral Products to consumers assume certain responsibilities toward customers. These responsibilities arise out of the diverse methods of distribution of their products and services, the perishable nature of the products, and the time-sensitivity of their availability. We hereby set forth the basic fair and ethical principles and practices to which member companies will adhere in the conduct of their business.

1. Deceptive or Unlawful Advertising Practices

No member company shall engage in any deceptive, unlawful or unethical consumer practice. Member company companies shall ensure that no statements, promises or testimonials are made which are likely to mislead consumers.

The following are examples of Deceptive Advertising:

·Advertising in a telephone directory, or other similar print media, that services an area different from that of the company’s actual physical location, without disclosing that the company is not physically located in the local area.

·Advertising online using keywords associated with a specific city or location that is different from the company’s physical location, without disclosing that the company is not physically located in that city or location.

·Including the name of a city or location in the business name when the company is not physically located in that city or location.

·If floral products are shipped in a box, utilizing photos or drawings of floral arrangements without advising the customer that the floral products are shipped in a box, are NOT supplied fully arranged, and may be left at the addressee’s location if the recipient is not home.

·Advertising that leads the customer to believe that the products will be shipped from the grower to the customer, when the products will be shipped through an intermediate location.

2. Products or Services

The offer of products or services for sale by member company companies shall be accurate and truthful as to price, grade, quality, value, quantity, and availability.

·A consumer's order for products and services shall be fulfilled in a timely manner. Notwithstanding, the member company should not accept orders with unrealistic delivery dates and times, such as delivery after 4PM, delivery before 9AM and Sunday or National Holiday delivery without first verifying that such a delivery is in fact practical.

·If the price includes delivery, this fact must be prominently displayed along with the dollar value of the delivery.

·The member company shall screen all orders for appropriateness of language. Examples would include obscene or indecent remarks in the card message, inappropriate sentiments in a funeral message, etc.

·The member company shall screen all orders for appropriateness of product content or type. Examples include pink flowers in a baby boy arrangement or funeral piece for a man, a cross going to a Buddhist funeral, gourmet basket with pork products addressed to someone with a traditionally Muslim name, etc.

3. Terms of Sale

Prior to completion of the order, the member company shall communicate to the customer, in language that is clear and free of ambiguity:

·The name and physical address of the member company;

·All the terms and conditions of sale, with specification of the total amount the customer will be required to pay, including itemized service charges and fees, and other costs and expenses;

·If the member company will be using any third party to supply the product, this fact must be communicated in language that is clear and free of ambiguity.

4. Warranties and Guarantees

The terms of any warranty or guarantee offered by the member company shall be furnished to the buyer in language that is clear and free of ambiguity. The member company shall fully and promptly perform in accordance with the terms of all warranties and guarantees offered to consumers.

5. Identification and Privacy

Member companies shall truthfully identify their company and their products in all of their solicitations to prospective customers.

The member company shall take appropriate steps to ensure that customer’s proprietary information, including but not limited to Name, Address, Telephone Number, Email Address, and Payment Information will remain proprietary. This information will not be given, sold or bartered to any third party.

No member company shall in any way attempt to persuade, induce or coerce another party to breach this Code, and the member companies agree that the inducing of the breach of this Code is considered a violation of the Code.

6. Required Publication

All member companies are required to publicize this Code of Ethics to its consumers. The publicity plan shall contain, at a minimum, the following:

·An inclusion on the company’s web site of the Code of Ethics with a step-by-step explanation as to how to file a complaint; and

·A copy of the Code of Ethics prominently displayed within their shop

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All the best!

Bill

Flowers Are Useless

You can’t live in a flower. You cannot hop into a flower and take the kids to school. You can’t – with certain exceptions – EAT a flower. And, unless you happen to be Polynesian, you cannot WEAR a flower.

But for as long as we human beings have been what we laughingly call “civilized,” flowers have been a part of our lives.

Consider the paintings on the walls of an Egyptian tomb. They often depict both Pharoahs and Common Folk smelling lotus blossoms. Look at the inventory of grave goods from an archaeological dig and, chances are, you’ll find “Remnants Of Flowers” listed along with the necklaces, and axe heads and sandals. The little Inca Children that were brutally sacrificed on a mountaintop in the Andes a thousand years ago had flowers tucked into their woolen clothing.

And flowers maintain their place in today’s diverse “modern” society.

Can anyone ever forget the throngs of mourners lining the streets of London, tossing flower bouquets as Diana’s hearse carried her to her last resting place?

Consider the joyous look on the face of a beauty pageant winner, as she receives the celebratory bouquet of roses? Would it be the same with a necklace of iPods?

What about the guy on his first date that shyly hands his friend an inexpensive pink carnation? Would anyone suggest that he should have given her a One Dollar Bill instead?

What, then, is so remarkable about flowers? Why were they an integral part of all ancient societies? And why do they remain a part of the high-tech, fast-paced lives of today?

Simply put, flowers help us deal with situations that we do not understand, and all-too-often cannot control. And they do it in a way that no other item, whether made by God or by man, ever could… or ever will.

And maybe that’s not so useless, after all!