Have you ever thought
about how your flower order is anatomized?
Say you call in
and say: "hey, I would like to send an order to... and would like to spend
X amount of $". I hope you did not think
all of that would just be in those beautiful blooms.
*Note - Taxes and
delivery should not be part of the total dollars for the order. These should be
always be above the arrangement price. Same as if you are purchasing food at a
restaurant or hard goods at a store. Here is why; say my state taxes are: 7% so
you are taking 7% away from the order just to start. On a $50.00 arrangement
that is $3.50 subtracted and an average delivery charge in a medium sized city
$8.00 so on the $50.00 order minus $11.50 (taxes and delivery) leaves your
total arrangement at $38.50. So, you took a medium priced arrangement and made
it a low priced arrangement.
What goes into the
designing/manufacturing of flower arrangements?
Shhhhh...
Here is the secret, not so secret breakdown.
Of course the beautiful
blooms BUT there is more before we get to the flowers.
The container that holds
the flowers:
This can vary greatly
and take a large part of your flower design.
· Plastic - least
expensive, but not normally too attractive.
· Glass - a little more
pricey, but can be suitable for most.
· Basket or ceramic, nicer
- these are generally similar in pricing. Higher than glass and plastic but
design wise and style offer more options.
All of these can be
keepsake or a stock type of container. As the name "keepsake" implies
these are higher in pricing than stock and do allow the design to be showcased
better and container treasured after the flowers have gone. They are more
impressive in the overall look and design of the order too. But for keepsake
type of containers expect to add minimally $20.00 and up just for the container.
There are the needed
supplies to make the arrangement:
These items are such as;
floral tape, oasis, wires, picks, greening pins, preservative for the flowers
floral sprays, ribbon, delivery box and more.
Labor:
Ouch!
This is when the word
manufacturing starts getting used. Sorry floral designers. As with all things
crafted by hand, there is labor and it is figured in (somewhere) or separate.
In this case separate. As we all know labor is not inexpensive, because, it is
not just about that current employee you have as much as taking care of past
employees and other people’s employees as well. I know its crazy isn't it.
Now the big beautiful
blooms and greenery:
The type of flowers and
greenery do vary quite a bit but you can depend that lower end flowers
generally start at $2.00ish per stem and up (average flower pricing is $4.00
per stem not including tropical’s). *Note that the tropical flowers are more
but their longevity is much longer than say roses and carnations and such.
Picking the right mix is very important and the designer should be versed
on flower life.
Greenery - the unspoken need.
Almost all designs need
a cover/filler and it does have a price. It is considered just like flowers.
Generally speaking; if
you use less flowers, the more greenery you will need. One, to keep them in
place in the container (clear containers) or two, to cover the mechanics used
to keep them in place (non clear containers).
Remember flowers are a
perishable commodity. Even if it is in the shops cooler or in an arrangement, same
as chocolate and food items all have a basic sell by date. Florists have to be
aware of the shelf life of their flowers and try to sell through before that
end time.
Now that I have broken
down the basics of a flower arrangement you wish to send, it is my hope that
through education you will be for aware of how your $$$s are used in the
beautiful, wonderful, life affirming, flower arrangement.
Benefits of sending flowers are:
A
tried and true way to show someone you care that touches their soul.
It
is a facilitator, a universal language with another human being.
Flowers
have just enough longevity to keep the feeling going but short enough to
give the sender another chance to let the person know how much they mean
to them in sickness or in health.
Flowers
have health benefits; one cannot gain weight from them and are
"green" for the environment.
Plus
the designing can be different each time so they are always "one of a
kind", just like the one you are sending to.
