You have probably heard of florists such as FTD, Teleflora, Pro Flowers, 1-800-Flowers. These companies are what is known as a “wire service’ in the floral world. Other names you might not be so familiar with are Avas Flowers, BloomNet, Floral Shop Network...and there are more.
These companies are essentially just “order-senders”… directing orders to be fulfilled by local shops at a fraction of the price – and most of the time, below what the florist would typically charge. When you use these services, not only are you not supporting local small businesses and communities, the majority of dollars for these wire services are kept by them.
For example, let’s say you want to send your sister in Dallas a birthday floral arrangement for $100. You decide to order from one of these wire services. Right off the bat, your gift arrangement for your sister has already decreased in value to around $80. The amount that the local floral shop receives from the wire service for a $100 order is less than $50. This is hardly profitable, by industry standards, for this hard-working florist. So what to do?
If you know a friend or relative that lives in Dallas (or whatever city to where you are sending the flowers), you could ask them for a florist recommendation. Or, consider Googling “florist in Dallas” and evaluating the results. Scroll past the “Avas Flowers” and such, and take a peek at the results that actually have Google listings. Finally, you may always contact me via the link below or at my email here in my website. I am in Facebook groups for florists all over the country, and I can happily find a local business for you to support!
If you would like to learn more, or have topics you’d like to see us post about, please fill out the form below with your email address...and thank you for reading!
