The top 5 things you should never say to a florist . . . . .
Many people have no idea that floristry is actually a professional trade qualification which takes many hours of practical and theory classes to gain a nationally recognized qualification. In Australia you can achieve a Certificate II, III, IV and a Diploma in Floristry. There is no Master Florist qualification in Australia. You need to have attended a University in Europe to attain this award.
Often the perception is "What's so hard about just sticking a few flowers in that green stuff''. It was actually said to me when I was a member on a tourism board when meetings had to be arranged around my floristry classes when I had to speed learn all the requirements to gain a Certificate III in Floristry in 10 months, which was the time limit set because we were shifting to Tasmania.
When I did open my pretty florist shop in Tasmania the number one statement from the public was:-
" When I retire I'd like to be a florist and spend my day playing with flowers"
Usually a florist shop is a family run business and is HARD WORK. Owning a flower shop or designing flowers can seem super laid back. I can assure you it's not just creating flower arrangements but all the tasks required to be a viable and successful operation. Mostly the team is quite small and days start early with market visits, flower preparation, bucket cleaning, shop presentation, cleaning etc. Flowers are perishable so you need to be careful with ordering and have the skills and knowledge with regard to each flower's longevity. Besides flowers, there is the sourcing and purchasing of the sundries required to create the designs. You need computer skills, book keeping skills, marketing and social media skills, systems for order administration, cleaning skills, training employees, updating websites, planning for major times such as Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day when back up support is needed, organising couriers which is one of the hardest tasks as people want their orders delivered asap when sometimes a day's notice at least would be appreciated as florists are not clairvoyant to know that you want that particular out of season and unusual colour delivered today when you have already been to the market while the customer is still sleeping. The hours are long, usually the owner does not have time for a lunch break, with early market starts and late closing to prepare for the next day.
However, if you do dream of being a florist one day, I encourage you to go for it. It is such a rewarding occupation when you witness the joy you bring to so many people. Just be aware it's hard and tiring work and you need more than good design skills to stay afloat in this occupation with the plethora of supermarkets, Delis, Service Stations, bunch sellers etc. all competing in the flower industry.
No 2 - the most often spoken statement is :-
"You'll make it nice won't you?"
I find this request quite insulting and although we understand the reason behind the statement because you have elected to trust a florist to execute your vision instead of a flower seller, please know that it is every florist's aim to create something bespoke, beautiful and extraordinary as possible just for you. I especially dislike when other florists add the notation 'Make it nice as this is an important customer' to their relay orders. As your customer, I want to make it nice because you're also an important customer to me.
No 3
"If I bring you flowers can you arrange them for me?"
You wouldn't take a steak to a restaurant and ask the Chef to cook it and just charge for his time. The expectation is that this will cost very little. This is not aimed at everyone but we do get asked this often enough to mention it. We don't work for free and we don't put our name on flowers when we don't know where they are from and how they have been treated. We have overheads and operating expenses just like any other business and we have devoted many hours to training in all aspects of floristry just like a hairdresser, plumber, electrician or any other trades-person.
Also we get asked if we will wrap the flowers just purchased at the supermarket with our pretty wrapping, ribbons and card and can we put our sticker on it so the recipient doesn't know they bought them at the supermarket. In three words - "No we can't".
"I can get the same flowers at the Supermarket cheaper"
Yes we know that flowers you get at the supermarket are cheaper but they are cheaper for a reason. Firstly a Supermarket has much better buying power and can get flowers much cheaper than a florist. Also flowers are not their bread and butter and in my observation, are not cared for correctly and die quickly. A florist is trained to know what flowers should never be included in a bouquet with other flowers as they will shorten the life of the bouquet and florists know that nothing kills flowers quicker than ethylene gas so note next time how often you see flowers on display in the fruit department. In the case of florist bought flowers, the cooling chain has been maintained, stems have been cut, water has been changed, flower food used correctly etc which all increase the longevity of the flowers.
"I'm getting married and I'm on a tight budget"
Please don't send 50 Pinterest boards of Kardashian bridal inspiration and expect to get this for between $500-$1,000. Bridal flowers need to be perfect so more bunches of each flower need to be purchased to ensure every bloom is perfect. It all takes time and preparation and a lot of angst to create your perfect dream wedding. All flowers have to be ordered well in advance and flowers are nature and nature doesn't always perform. You are not buying a factory made item. There are so many variables that can affect the successful production of flowers. The florist spends a lot of time preparing and maintaining your flowers so that they are at their precise moment of glory as you carry them down the aisle. Know that this didn't just happen.
Be precise in what you want and please don't change your mind 7 times before the day. Álso please accept that the Peonies you dream of for your February wedding are not a possibility unless you accept artificial alternatives. Change the date of your wedding if you must have Peonies. The same goes for lovely King Proteas. They are not available all year round.
Support your local florist and know that every time you buy from a florist, a little girl has dancing classes, a little boy can go to footy training with new boots and someone is out the back doing a little Happy Dance.
Are you a florist? Have you heard these statements? What other statements have you heard?
Are you a customer? Have you ever said any of these things?
