Ordering Flower and Other Gifts by Wire
Since the turn of the century florist have been un-rivaled in their ability to conduct business accross great distances. Florists are un-rivaled in their ability to send a gift order thousands of miles with an average turnaround time of 4 hours. While we no longer use the telegraph as pictured at right we continue to employ the latest technologies to deliver fresh flowers around the corner or around the world.
What is a florist?
A florist is a professional who has dedicated his or her life to the art of working with flowers in all phases of the wholesale or retail floral industry. For retail industry purposes, he or she is dedicated to the hard work and long hours necessary to bring joy, comfort, healing, happiness and celebration into the lives of others with his or her floral creations. A true florist will have a keen understanding of how to care for, arrange, market, and deliver floral arrangements both in his or her local market and through other markets throughout the world. Wholesale and retail florist have a sensitivity and limited knowledge of the workings of one another's industry. Contrast this with persons who work in floral departments of grocery stores or home centers who have very limited or no knowledge of the industry but who "work with flowers", these individuals would not be considered florists.
What is an internet florist?
An internet florist is a Professional Retail Florist who has an internet presence.
Why use a florist to wire flowers?
Florist are professionals who can advise you on protocols, customs, varieties, availability, care and longevity and who will work hard to place your order as agreed upon. It is to your benefit to have a professional "in your corner" who understands the floral business and speaks the language of other florists.
How does a florist "wire" flowers?
Today, most florist are connected to one another via computers but even in the absence of computers your florist will transmit your order through another florist in the delivery area you are sending to. Your florist will send via computer, fax or telephone a completed order which the "filling florist" will fill to 100‰ of the order value and according to your specifications. The "sending florist" where you placed your order will receive a small commission for his or her time and expertise but this is not deducted from the value of the order but rather a courtesy discount from one florist to the other. The transactions, more often than not, are cleared through a "bank like" clearing house such as Florist Transworld Delivery® FTD® or Teleflora® where both florist have an account for conducting such transactions.
Why not call a florist directly?
This is certainly a viable alternative but with so many persons and businesses calling themselves florist who would not normally qualify to work in a professional florist store you are taking some chances. Of course, if you properly transact the sale using your credit card you can dispute the charge if something goes wrong and you are not able to work with the florist you called but you will have no recovery for the personal sadness you will have if your order has been mishandled.
Remember, some "florists" are little more than a couple of buckets, a telephone and a table on a street corner. Is this who you want to trust your order to? Or would you prefer to have a professional with a storefront, refrigeration, inventory, delivery vehicles, employees, design experience and etc. handle your next order. With the nearly 50,000 "florist" in America only about ½ of them qualify to belong to a professional clearinghouse.
How do I know if I can trust an online florist
You can know if you can trust an online florist the same way you can know if you are trusting any other online or "brick and mortar" business by asking yourself these questions.Are they available? Is their contact information easy to find?Is there a guarantee?Does their website (ie. storefront) look attractive and easy to use?
Who is 800 flowers, FTD.com & Floraplenty? Are they florist too?
800 flowers, FTD.com & Floraplenty among others are marketer's of floral products. They are each large companys who do an effective job of marketing their products to the retail buying public for fulfillment through your local retail florist. They do not actually handle flowers or inventory but sell your order to a third party.
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