Where have ALL the FLOWERS GONE ???
Where have ALL the REAL LIVE FLORISTS gone????
Customers can get by without Florists…But Florists CANNOT survive without Customers
Not only do the florist have to get out of the back room, but they must get out of the four walls of their shop and see how the FLORIST INDUSTRY IS PORTRAYED TO THE PUBLIC (Your Local Customer) by the Relay/Order-gatherer
Because of the declining state of the Florist Industry indentified in our records, we survey every customer that contacts us DIRECT. With respect we ask why they contacted us for their flowers. We thank them sincerely for taking the time and for their trust in our florist. We record who referred them and where they found our contact details on our ‘Snappy Florist Management Program’
We would not dare to print some of the stories and experiences the customers have had in finding an honest accommodating Florist. But, by their experiences, we do know why people are not contacting florists direct.
Now, Mushy, to answer your question again, ’Are the Relay Organisations classed as order-gatherers?’ MOST EMPHATICALLY and DEFINITELY YES, YES, YES.The true and honest Relay had a Code of Ethics (a copy is in this forum) and the ordering system was always LOCAL CUSTOMER, DIRECT > TO LOCAL FLORIST, DIRECT > TO FLORIST NEAREST THE POINT OF DELIVERY (if first florist could not deliver) THEN > DIRECT TO THE RECIPIENT. NO INTERFERENCE by THE RELAY. ALL MONIES WERE HELD IN THE FLORISTS ACCOUNTS.
On a set date florists would claim from one another through the relay, balanced and transferred into the florists accounts. The relay charged a small fee per order paid by the customer. No commissions were taken by the Relay from the customers orders.
A NEAR PERFECT TOTALLY TRANSPARENT SYSTEM FOR 90 YEARS
In the early 90’s before many of the member florists of this forum were interested in floristry, the relays tore up the Code of Ethics, changed their Constitution and By-laws and created a Sending Membership of their own. This system is in competition to their very own memberships, (who built their organizations) and started taking orders direct by poaching the Members Local Customers.
NO LOYALITY OR RESPECT FOR THE FLORIST INDUSTRY HERE!!
This allowed them to take FULL CONTROL of their own Members Customers, Prices, Flowers, Styles, Commissions, Monies and the Operation of the Members Business and sell the orders (NOT THE CUSTOMERS DETAILS) back to the Florist after removing a commission and a fee.
These monies (the florists profits with-held well outside the florists trading terms) were then used to promote their ‘NAME’ (the Relay) with misleading information in competition to their very own Members. The Florists name is never mentioned. In the sight of the public, all florists are owned by a Relay Chain
This mal-practice encouraged florists and non-florists who were not members to take orders, charge fees at whatever they could get and send it through the Relay Sending Member at a reduced value.This ordering system has grown out of control ,with NON-FLORIST Professionals of other Industries setting up websites, assuming to be Florists, with FAKE NAMES, ADDRESSES, and PHONE NUMBERS. (NOW KNOWN AS “ORDER-GATHERERS”).
Google Florist Australia will reveal over ONE MILLION SITES (less than 3000 are genuine real live florist outlets) The rest are ORDERGATHERERS in one form or another.
Fact: A large Relay Member Florist has just closed their shop in a shopping center. They resurfaced as a Sending Member of the same relay in an ajoining surburb to another Sending Member of the same relay. They are surrounded by full memberships of that relay. One of these now NON-FLORISTS have websites by name of every Capital City of Australia claimimg to be a local florist for same day delivery.
Same contact details on every site. Staff who worked for this busines were instructed to take $20 from the customers spend before sending the order thru the relay to receive another commission.
The Florist Industry Shops have been branded as “expensive”, “rip off’s”, “delivering dead flowers”, “making money from the dead”, “lack of service”, “ the flowers did nothing for me”. “dis-honest “ and the latest remark received “grumpy, so I walked out”
So Mushy, “lets presume that customers who order from "the order gatherers" are not your customer yet anyway*. The answer is that they will never be your customer and more than likely will never be a customer to any Real Live Florist again. This is obvious by the decline in flower orders in the Florist Shop.( An Honest Fact.)
The Real Florist will never know what was ordered, what was promised, what was the original price, or how many ‘order-gatherers “ took a commission.
The executing florist will be judged by the difference in the item ordered and promised and the item delivered by your florist shop. There is a 90% chance of the order being sent from the very same delivery address.
Alas! Our Well-Loved Industry is now totally controlled by the deceitful and dis-honest antics of the people of the IT industry who do not know the difference between a gigabyte and a gerbera. They reward themselves with the Florists Profits and Self Qualification as a Florist.
Presumptions are but a dream, Facts are Reality and are in need of desperate ACTION
It has been difficult to explain all these facts of history in a few small paragraphs, so if there is anything not clear about the Industry outside your four walls, please ask.
Cheers and best wishes in your co-operation to restore the Friendly Florist CircleThe Wise Old Owl at EFlowersalive…………..Ron
Edited by: EFlowersAlive
