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On The Level With Neville: May 2010
Getting Fresh in The Flower Shop |
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Written by Neville MacKay
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Boy, of all the issues and concerns we have in the floral industry, freshness is right up there. In fact, I think this is the most important issue we face! (Although some would argue that drinking during work hours is more pressing.) We have to keep a good supply of fresh, beautiful flowers at all times, and must be able to move them fast enough to maintain their freshness.
I remember calling a wholesaler one day, looking for flowers I wanted to give away for a charity. I was offered a sweet deal on carnations, until I found out that these little treasures were old enough to vote! Never use old crap for promotion. Ever. You get one chance at a first impression and if I had given out 200 stems of six-week-old carnations, that would be DRT (dead right there!) in a day or two. I can just hear the chatter from all those old hens.
We have to do everything we can to make sure we maintain top quality freshness at all times in our shops. This means having good talks with your suppliers so that you know when the flowers arrive, and also how well they’ve been treated since leaving their motherland. Be aware and be forewarned if your supplier doesn’t look after its flowers. Thank goodness here in Canada our suppliers are, for the most part, super. Don’t put up with poor product, whatever you do.
I know sometimes we think we’re getting a better deal if we get a lot of flowers in one order, but if you have to store them for a long time, then the deal is off, as the freshness is lost. Order more often and perhaps a little less. You may pay a bit more, but you’ll be better able to control your inventory and shrinkage.
If we get lots of flowers in all at once, I create a sense of urgency with my co-workers, making everyone aware what needs selling right away! If we have lots of gerberas, let’s say, they now become the flower for every occasion from the womb to the tomb! I had a chat one day with my staff about tulips; they were flying out the door, and everything else seemed to sit there. So, I asked that tulips not be mentioned on the phone, rather they suggest other flowers that we need to move. Simple plan, right? Well, the first call in went like this: “Good Morning, My Mother’s Bloomers.” “Well, yes, we DO have tulips, but Neville said not to mention them and to suggest other flowers we had to get rid of . . .” I nearly flipped! Is it any wonder I have no hair?!
Another thing to bear in mind is that an empty bucket, or a bucket with one or two flowers in it, makes everything look picked over and old. Combine these precious odds and ends, use them in bouquets, make an arrangement – whatever – but just don’t leave them there! I know you’re in a rush and can forget, but listen, if the folks at Tim Hortons can make a new pot of coffee every 15 minutes, you can empty a bucket!
Cleanliness is next to godliness . . . and freshness! Keep those fridges, tools and buckets clean at all times! I assume you know how to, and the importance of, cleaning your flowers, giving them food, etc., so I won’t go into all that. If for some reason you don’t know how to treat a particular flower, call your supplier, look it up or send me a note.
We all need food (apparently I don’t need nearly as much as I thought though!) and flowers will be hungry after their trip. You’d be hungry, too, if you were stuffed in a box for days on end! The invention of flower food was a wonderful feat of science, wasn’t it? I spoke to a florist recently who said they never use it. I, in a split second, decided that some people are to be pitied, so I calmly regaled them with the benefits of proper floral feeding, rather than beating them to death. Sad, ain’t it, that in this day and age we have so-called professionals out there behaving like that!?
Keeping flowers fresh doesn’t stop when you send them out the door. Make sure when flowers leave your store for delivery they go with food and care instructions. When folks buy flowers in the shop, remind them what to do at home. Tell them to re-cut the stems, dissolve the food in water, and keep their flowers in a cool place out of the sun. Tell them that their arrangement will need water when they get home. (I say to give the flowers a good drink, and then have one themselves!)
We sometimes in our shop tell customers that we have “flowers so fresh, they’re almost rude!” Get fresh with your clients, I mean your flowers . . . or both!
Neville owns and operates My Mother’s Bloomers in Halifax and lives
close to Peggy’s Cove with his partner, David, three cats and an
overgrown garden. For more info on Neville or to book him for a show or
talk, check out www.mymothersbloomers.com .
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