File:Florists' review (microform) (16054877294).jpg

Title: Florists' review (microform)
Identifier: 5205536_15_2 (find matches)
Year: [1] (s)
Authors:
Subjects: Floriculture
Publisher: Chicago : Florists' Pub. Co
Contributing Library: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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^•' ;-;/V.>*■-. <;7:-i":'-v?'V^^^^ •'.■■• APRIL 13. 1905. The Weekly Florists^ Review* J 225
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The Special Sale Pavilion for Cut Flowers in a Kansas Qty Department Store. many other things if they could be of- fered at a price which would serve our purpose of attracting a crowd." As the Retailer Sees It. In order to set forth the effect of the department store flower sales on the re- tail flower stores, the retailers at Kansas City, who have had as much experience of this competition as anyone, were appealed to for their views. Samuel Murray, who does a large business and is a heavy buyer in the same markets as those drawn upon by the department stores, writes as follows: "In regard to the special sales of cut flowers by the Emery, Bird, Thayer Co. and others, I do not think that they at- tract many of the people who patronize the better class of flower stores; maybe some, but on the whole they do the retail florists good by reaching a new class of people and creating in them a love for the beautiful and for flowers. Later these people will come to be regular pat- rons of the florists, buying to adorn their own homes but especially buying flowers for gifts to those in suffering and sadness, something they had not thought of until the cheap sale awoke in them the loVe of flo^.ers. I feel that every flower brought into the home, be it rich or poor, brings just so much sun- shine. I was very much pleased last Saturday (March 18) to see so many people in town carrying bunches of car- nations and violets from one of these sales. W. L. Rock is one of the representa- tive florists of the west. He writes as follows: "It is our candid opinion that these department store flower sales are a bene- fit to the retail florist, providing they go no farther than having specisd sales on, say, one day in the week. The sales certainly do us no harm. The class of people buying the department store flow- ers buy them because they think they are a bargain, and sometimes they are bargains. This class of people would not buy of the legitimate florist if there were no sale. The only danger we can see is that these sales, when well pat- ronized, may have a tendency to tempt the department stores to place cheap flowers on sale regularly, or every day during the spring season, when stock of this character is plentiful and cheap. "We have two large department stores here which have flower sales near- ly every Saturday. Still our business increases each year, especially so on Saturdays, as tltat day is made up largely of transient business. *' We have had a few special sales our- selves and find they bring the people into our store, but we don't advocate having them oftener than once or twice a season and then giving the public a sure-enough bargain, something they will talk about. "We understand that the Emery, Bird, Thayer Co. have contracted with some Chicago firm for 5,000 lilies and 15,000 fancy carnations to sell the Sat- urday before Easter at 15 cents for lilies and 2 cents for carnations. Such a sale as this is apt to hurt the smaller retail stores but not the stores where the higher class patronage goes. We only regret that such sales occur for the rea- son that they cannot handle lilies as an experienced florist can handle them and the result is that a lot of people will be disappointed Easter Sunday, and a num- ber of smaller florists also disappointed in their sales, and no one benefited, for the department store has made no profit and the grower most likely could have sold them to the florists. "These sales usually wear themselves out; just let them alone. The people are becoming better educated each year as to quality. Those who are buy- ing cheap flowers this year may be the regular florists' customers next year. So on the whole I think these sales a bene- fit," As the Wholesalers See It. "There can be no doubt of the value of these special sales to the wholesale markets and the growers, said a lead- ing Chicago wholesaler. "They are a good thing for the market in that when- ever the production is so great that prices get down to a certain level there is an assurance that everything at that price will be cleaned up on at least one day, which serves to establish a bottom price for Thursday and Friday and cleaning up the market has the effect that on Saturday and Sunday values are well maintained. And it is not only the man whose stock goes to fill the big order who is benefited; the whole mar- ket feels the benefit. I always like to hear that these orders are in town, whether I get them or not." "It is not right to refer to these de- partment store orders as 'cheap or- ders,' " said another wholesaler. "We have found these people ready to pay fair prices. Of course they do not buy until arices are down to a low level, but then Tney buy in big lots and pay just as good prices as any florist will pay who can use a thousand of 'our selec- tion.' Naturally the department store buyer wants to get his stock as cheaply as he can and underbidding makes him shift his order from one house to an- other. But if no more than $7.50 is now sometimes paid lor ai thousand car- nations it is because of the seuer's anx- iety to sell. He might as easily get $12.50 if nobody would pack up stock for less." *' If one of my customers tells me that department store sales are hurting the Saturday business," said a commission man, "I tell him to go fight the devil with flre. If a florist who has anything like a central location does not approve of the department store sales, it won't be hard to stop them. Have a special sale of your own on the same day as the department store. Advertise just as widely, sell just as cheaply (you can buy as cheaply) and put the goods up in better shape. Hardly any department stores expect to make money on flower sales;, it's to draw the crowd they have

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