Ask a Flower Buyer anything

30 Questions

Last Answer on April 18, 2013

Are you working around the clock in the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day and Mother's Day? What are the other rough times of year for you?

Asked by kathy k. almost 12 years ago

This is the busiest time of the year overall. There is an incredible amount of attention and pressure on growers’ red rose production. Is the crop on time, coming early or late and how has the weather been leading up to now? Many of the variables cannot be controlled and we simply must ‘do the best we can’ based on the scenario presented. Mother’s day is very busy, but demand is for all kind of flowers and also people will ship flowers early to Mom, but for Valentine’s day they need to be delivered ON VALENTINE’S DAY !!! (Also we usually don’t have to worry about snow storms across the U.S. for Mother’s Day, for V-day, this is almost a guarantee !)

546 Votes

I've used 1-800-FLOWERS and other online sites for Valentine's Day, Mothers Day, etc -- literally half of these deliveries failed (arriving days late or not at all). Is that simply the nature of the business, or am I just using bad vendors?

Asked by ARGH almost 12 years ago

There are a lot of options out there for you to choose from when sending flowers and there are some that are better than others. Some companies have local florists fulfill their orders, some ship them from warehouses where they are made and stored prior to being sent and some companies ship direct from farms in South America directly to you. Having flowers show up only 50% of the time or late is not the nature the biz, you may have picked the wrong one to fill your order. If you want to learn more about the various models used to fill your order, you can checkout a blog I wrote last year around this time about this http://www.flowermuse.com/blog/valentinesordersone/

538 Votes

If I am a very anal person, do you think this job will suit me well? Also, can I work by myself? I really don't feel comfortable in the company of others. I have an A type personlaity. I don't want to seek psychological help, just a job that suits me

Asked by TYPEA almost 12 years ago

No. We deal with a perishable items and weather plays a big role. You can have the most important biggest order and it HAS to ship today, but flowers aren't ready so you have to ship tomorrow.... you have to be flexible in this business.

506 Votes

Given that you buy flowers professionally, does that increase the pressure on you to come up with something really original and special when you give flowers to a loved one?

Asked by myra bella almost 12 years ago

Great question! I have told my wife "I could have been a lawyer and brought home depositions all the time, but instead I get shipped samples of flowers". My wife loves all flowers, peonies a lot , which is my favorite too. Peonies are not grown all year round, so it is fun to find a new source on items like this and if I find something interesting, you better believe I ship them to my wife and family members! I found some peony growers in Alaska last year and ended up shipping peonies the end of July (no one else in the world is growing them at this time of the year) and they were amazing ! I ending up traveling to Alaska in August to meet with them and look forward to doing more business with them this year.

501 Votes

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Am I entitled to a refund if flowers I sent don't look as pretty as they do in the picture?

Asked by JC almost 12 years ago

Be sure to read the fine print on web sites or ask the local florist their policies on refunds, they vary. The goal of the florist or any .com is to make you or other recipient 'happy', this does not happen all the time, but that is the goal.

499 Votes

I never understood how EVERY vendor in the FTD network could offer the same bouquets? What if they don't all have the same flowers? It says that some flower substitution may occur, but how often does that happen?

Asked by Gwen almost 12 years ago

FTD, 1800 and Teleflora provide marketing and many other services to 10,000 + shops in the US. In order to 'market' for this large number they need to offer bouquets that can be filled by a very large majority of these shops on a regular basis which is why many of these offerings contain more common flowers. Yes, substitutions can and do happen, I am not sure how often, but I know is does occur.

498 Votes

What kinds of flowers retain their aroma the longest?

Asked by sweetsweetjane almost 12 years ago

I would say Oriental lilies hold their aroma for the longest. The aroma will vary from variety to variety in its strength.

488 Votes

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Flower Buyer

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Are you working around the clock in the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day and Mother's Day? What are the other rough times of year for you?

I've used 1-800-FLOWERS and other online sites for Valentine's Day, Mothers Day, etc -- literally half of these deliveries failed (arriving days late or not at all). Is that simply the nature of the business, or am I just using bad vendors?

If I am a very anal person, do you think this job will suit me well? Also, can I work by myself? I really don't feel comfortable in the company of others. I have an A type personlaity. I don't want to seek psychological help, just a job that suits me

Given that you buy flowers professionally, does that increase the pressure on you to come up with something really original and special when you give flowers to a loved one?

Also on Jobstr...

Am I entitled to a refund if flowers I sent don't look as pretty as they do in the picture?

I never understood how EVERY vendor in the FTD network could offer the same bouquets? What if they don't all have the same flowers? It says that some flower substitution may occur, but how often does that happen?

What kinds of flowers retain their aroma the longest?

Flower Buyer

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Are you working around the clock in the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day and Mother's Day? What are the other rough times of year for you?

I've used 1-800-FLOWERS and other online sites for Valentine's Day, Mothers Day, etc -- literally half of these deliveries failed (arriving days late or not at all). Is that simply the nature of the business, or am I just using bad vendors?

If I am a very anal person, do you think this job will suit me well? Also, can I work by myself? I really don't feel comfortable in the company of others. I have an A type personlaity. I don't want to seek psychological help, just a job that suits me

Given that you buy flowers professionally, does that increase the pressure on you to come up with something really original and special when you give flowers to a loved one?

Also on Jobstr...

Am I entitled to a refund if flowers I sent don't look as pretty as they do in the picture?

I never understood how EVERY vendor in the FTD network could offer the same bouquets? What if they don't all have the same flowers? It says that some flower substitution may occur, but how often does that happen?

What kinds of flowers retain their aroma the longest?

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