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natnq	Jan 30 2012, 10:35am Anchor
After losing a wedding quote today I asked the Bride to be if she would mind sharing her other prices with us so we can compare our costings & check if we need to restructure our pricing. I was absolutely floored to see the prices of another florist( I am not sure if it was some one who works from home) No wonder professional, qualified, well respected retail florists are having to close their doors left right & centre. I think this person should be absolutely ashamed of themselves & they obviously have no respect for this wonderful Industry & what it involves to get up & go and open the doors every day & try make an honest living out of doing what we love. Just out of curiosity, what do you think of $160 for 40 stems of tulips/roses? I know I'd rather have the weekend off to go fishing than work for that. Very interested in feedback! thanks
alison	Feb 1 2012, 12:07pm Anchor
wow, $160 so cheap, it is so hard with wedding flowers... brides assume that when they say wedding that the price automatically jumps, but they just dont take into consideration the time and effort we put into making their flowers perfect... i have just spent another hour with a bride of mine today after already quoting a requoting, by the time i actually come to do the flowers on the day i will have spent 4-5 hours with her, crazy. does anyone charge a consultation fee? i would love too, for the brides you spend hours with only to have them turn around and go somewhere else.
Fly2hi	Feb 3 2012, 9:39pm Anchor
Ever so frustrating isn't it. If it's any consolation you are by no means alone. It must be one of the most talked about 'problems' that I see every week. Call it Capitalism if you like. Every industry suffers it to some degree and in some ways it is a necessary evil. It does keep everyone on their toes. Is it fair? Probably not, but who ever said it was meant to be. None of us has any right to do well or make a profit. We need to make it happen. When things get tough (we haven't seen 'tough' in Oz yet but it's coming) we have to work even harder and smarter to make it happen. Forget about how you operated during the boom times, its a whole new ball game.
EFlowersAlive	Feb 7 2012, 10:25pm Anchor
It is ever so frustrating and talked about in this Florist Industry, but nothing ever happens about cleaning it up. How many florists are accepting orders from Relay/Ordergatherers at reduced rate and sending those florists to the wall. This is undercutting at its worst. Where is the middle ground in pricing?.The problem as we see it from our research is the Local Florists do not have a written Terms of Trade. Do you know what costs are involved in your shop to get a customer through your door? Your door, I mean, not your competition. They are of no concern of yours, so don't get your nickers in a knot because the joke is on them. You'll be still there when they have gone. Here's a little tip, but be little polite about it, Um! $160, yea, I could do your bouquets for that but I am sure you would be disappointed. Flowers at a wedding are a 11th hour delivery with no time for being disappointed, so they must be exactly as you pictured them to the detail. This is not scare tactics, but honest fact, as it has happened so many times. Your Terms of Trade are your concern and must be enforced, with no exception. Another tip is, the florist must be a teacher of flowers, forget the sales pitch. Cheers from the Wise Old Owl at eFlowersalive.........Ron support@eflowersalive.com.au
natnq	Feb 20 2012, 1:21pm Anchor
thanks for the feed back everyone. I am very aware this is a competitive industry, particulary where I am, a recent bridal expo even had a rose grower there promoting budget/wholesale wedding bouquets! And I realise there is not a lot we can do except, as you say Ron, enforce to our potential customers our values & high standards of completed work is what our brides are ultimately paying for, the attention to detail, right down to packing the flowers so they are in perfect condition upon delivery. GREAT Customer Service ALL THE WAY!!! I guess i was just fuming that day & needed a rant to fellow florists - it's awesome we have this forum to express our frustations. Alison - I'm the same - I would estimate at least 3-4 hours spent with most brides before you get the Yes or No! (calls, appointmens, time quoting, typing, filing etc etc) I don't charge consultation fees, yet I promote the 'initial consultation' is free of charge in my wedding advertising. I also now have a clause where I will charge an admin fee per change to original accepted quote & since doing this I don't have the everyday drop ins saying they've found another picture on the net, can you redo my quote!!) On a happier note, I hope you have all recovered from Valentine's Day & that it was a HUGE success for you all : )

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natnq

Jan 30 2012, 10:35am Anchor

After losing a wedding quote today I asked the Bride to be if she would mind sharing her other prices with us so we can compare our costings & check if we need to restructure our pricing. I was absolutely floored to see the prices of another florist( I am not sure if it was some one who works from home) No wonder professional, qualified, well respected retail florists are having to close their doors left right & centre. I think this person should be absolutely ashamed of themselves & they obviously have no respect for this wonderful Industry & what it involves to get up & go and open the doors every day & try make an honest living out of doing what we love. Just out of curiosity, what do you think of $160 for 40 stems of tulips/roses? I know I'd rather have the weekend off to go fishing than work for that. Very interested in feedback! thanks

alison

Feb 1 2012, 12:07pm Anchor

wow,
$160 so cheap,

it is so hard with wedding flowers...
brides assume that when they say wedding that the price automatically jumps,
but they just dont take into consideration the time and effort we put into making their flowers perfect...
i have just spent another hour with a bride of mine today after already quoting a requoting,
by the time i actually come to do the flowers on the day i will have spent 4-5 hours with her,
crazy.
does anyone charge a consultation fee?
i would love too, for the brides you spend hours with only to have them turn around and go somewhere else.

Fly2hi

Feb 3 2012, 9:39pm Anchor

Ever so frustrating isn't it. If it's any consolation you are by no means alone. It must be one of the most talked about 'problems' that I see every week. Call it Capitalism if you like. Every industry suffers it to some degree and in some ways it is a necessary evil. It does keep everyone on their toes. Is it fair? Probably not, but who ever said it was meant to be. None of us has any right to do well or make a profit. We need to make it happen. When things get tough (we haven't seen 'tough' in Oz yet but it's coming) we have to work even harder and smarter to make it happen. Forget about how you operated during the boom times, its a whole new ball game.

EFlowersAlive

Feb 7 2012, 10:25pm Anchor

It is ever so frustrating and talked about in this Florist Industry, but nothing ever happens about cleaning it up. How many florists are accepting orders from Relay/Ordergatherers at reduced rate and sending those florists to the wall. This is undercutting at its worst.
Where is the middle ground in pricing?.The problem as we see it from our research is the Local Florists do not have a written Terms of Trade.
Do you know what costs are involved in your shop to get a customer through your door? Your door, I mean, not your competition. They are of no concern of yours, so don't get your nickers in a knot because the joke is on them. You'll be still there when they have gone.
Here's a little tip, but be little polite about it, Um! $160, yea, I could do your bouquets for that but I am sure you would be disappointed. Flowers at a wedding are a 11th hour delivery with no time for being disappointed, so they must be exactly as you pictured them to the detail.
This is not scare tactics, but honest fact, as it has happened so many times.
Your Terms of Trade are your concern and must be enforced, with no exception.
Another tip is, the florist must be a teacher of flowers, forget the sales pitch.
Cheers from the Wise Old Owl at eFlowersalive.........Ron
support@eflowersalive.com.au

natnq

Feb 20 2012, 1:21pm Anchor

thanks for the feed back everyone. I am very aware this is a competitive industry, particulary where I am, a recent bridal expo even had a rose grower there promoting budget/wholesale wedding bouquets!
And I realise there is not a lot we can do except, as you say Ron, enforce to our potential customers our values & high standards of completed work is what our brides are ultimately paying for, the attention to detail, right down to packing the flowers so they are in perfect condition upon delivery. GREAT Customer Service ALL THE WAY!!! I guess i was just fuming that day & needed a rant to fellow florists - it's awesome we have this forum to express our frustations.

Alison - I'm the same - I would estimate at least 3-4 hours spent with most brides before you get the Yes or No! (calls, appointmens, time quoting, typing, filing etc etc) I don't charge consultation fees, yet I promote the 'initial consultation' is free of charge in my wedding advertising. I also now have a clause where I will charge an admin fee per change to original accepted quote & since doing this I don't have the everyday drop ins saying they've found another picture on the net, can you redo my quote!!)

On a happier note, I hope you have all recovered from Valentine's Day & that it was a HUGE success for you all

: )