I have been noticing a disturbing trend lately. People have been coming into our store and talking about how they were at another florist that was too expensive for them. Flowers come in all price ranges so I don’t understand how a florist can’t find the right product for their customer. For 45 years Payne & Morrison Florists of Phoenix Arizona has been able to make customers happy with quality flowers at with budget.
A couple of weeks ago a guy came in form a local high school, obviously stressed out. When we asked him what we could help him with he said he needed a corsage and boutonniere for prom. We tried to find out what color, style and kind of flowers he was interested in but all he could talk about was cost. I asked him how much he was looking to spend and he replied “could you make me a deal since I am buying both from you?” I told him that we would be able to find something for him if would just tell me about how much he wanted to spend. He asked “can 25 or 30 bucks get me anything?” I told him absolutely. It was like a weight lifted off his shoulders. I asked him why he was so surprised and he told me that he had just came from a florist that flat out told him they could not do anything for him unless he spent at least 30 dollars for each item. I was shocked. I remember being a high school kid that had to go buy flowers. It is intimidating for a young man to go into a flower shop where he doesn’t really know what he is supposed to do. Then end up with something that a girl he likes is going to be happy with. I realized why this guy seemed so stressed. He thought he didn’t have enough money to buy prom flowers or that he was going to end up with something that his date would think was cheap. I am glad the guy came to us and we were able to make him happy instead of him going away thinking florists are too expensive.
Last week I had a young bride-to-be tell me that she met a local florist at a show and went in a couple of weeks later to talk wedding flowers with her. After going over what the customer wanted the florist came to her with a bid of ten thousand dollars. The customer told her that was close to the budget for the entire wedding, and the florist actually got upset with her. This Bride is very laid back and easy to work with so once again I was shocked. She is very flexible in the flowers and greens used and was open to all kinds of styles. In other words, there is plenty of room to work with to come up with a great product at a price that works for the customer.
These two situations really bothered me. Florists are having a hard enough time these days. Yes the economy is slow but flower shops also have to compete with huge grocery store chains. People pick up inferior quality flowers at their closest grocery store. When they are disappointed with the quality they get these people will never think about going to a florist. Not to mention those same grocery stores are setting in on the holidays that keep florists going during the slower months. One chain set up tents to sale cheap, low quality flowers at Valentines Day. So how could florists be so naive as to send customers away with the impression that if you don’t break the bank you can’t afford top quality flowers. Of course when you can afford to go all out on flowers it is amazing what a florist can accomplish but it is just as important to make flowers look great at any price range.
Please stop by Payne and Morrison Florists in Phoenix Arizona or visit us on the web at www.payneandmorrison.com .