Flowers from a Florist
When you find yourself in need of flowers, there’s no shortage of options for where to find them. Your local florist, flower farms, farmer’s markets, grocery stores, corner shops and of course your own garden. All of them (yes, even the corner shop!) have their benefits. In the upcoming weeks we’ll look at each one separately. Today’s focus is your local florist.
The first thing to do is find a good quality florist in your neighbourhood. You’ll know they’re good if their shelves are constantly being refilled with a variety of fresh product, and the staff are friendly and helpful. Once you’ve found one, pop on in and start getting to know the staff. This is what a florist can offer you:
Expertly cared for flowers: As soon as a florist receives flowers in their shop, they condition them so they’re in tip-top shape. This is a skill they’ve learned as not all flowers are treated the same way. This also takes time. By the time you receive the flowers the conditioning has already been done which means you don’t have to do it.
Help make a decision: If you’re not sure what flowers you want to buy, your florist can give recommendations. They’ll know what’s in season, how to style them, and can work within your budget.
Share their knowledge: It’s part of a florist’s job to educate their customers so they have success with their purchase. They know all the tips and tricks to keep your flowers looking as fresh as possible for as long as possible and will share them with you.
Offer local product: Your florist will have an abundance of local, seasonal product. Nothing is better than getting the best and freshest flowers available.
Answer questions: Florists are a great resource if you have a flower-related question. If they don’t already know the answer, they’ll know where to find it.
Create a relationship: If you have an ongoing relationship with your florist, they’ll get to know you and be able to contact you when your favourite flowers arrive in the store, or remind you when there’s important events in your life when you’ll want to make a purchase.
Take care of delivery: Florists are able to arrange for local delivery. If you want to send something to a location further from home, they’ll be able to assist you with a local florist in that area.
Create skillful arrangements: A florist will be able to take your vision and recreate it. Or if you don’t know what you want, they can create something unique just for you.
Source speciality items: If you have a special flower you’d like but it’s not local, a florist should be able to source it for you.
Give loyal service: Florists want to create loyal customer relationships. Their biggest means of marketing is by word-of-mouth so if you’re happy with their service, you’ll tell your family and friends, creating new customers for them.
Those who work as a florist have long hours and work on all the big ‘flower’ holidays like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Christmas, missing time with their own family and friends. But they do this because they truly love flowers and want to share that passion with you. Next time you’re out for a walk and go past that little shop with the beautiful, fresh, window display that you always admire, how about popping in and making a purchase? It could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship!
