Let's talk......

We are 72 days from Valetnine's Day....this is my 22nd VDay - who knew? And every year I keep coming back...

One of my bosses recently said to me that the reason we all keep doing this year after year is the adrenilan rush. I guess that's true. We have to admit that we're flower junkies - VDay addicts. We may actually hate flowers after all this time, but we're addicted to that rush - the flower of product from around the globe passing through the bottleneck that is Miami and somehow, ending up in the hands of man/woman hoping for the best.

The industry has changed a lot over the last 20+ years - we've gone from bucket shops to full service, 24 hours and back. Just when we think on this side we've got it figured out and are ready to send out the next best thing, some crazy thing happens - the economy crashes, Martha you know who features flowers made out of rice paper or some other crazy thing, and our entire market changes.

The hardest thing is trying to stay one step ahead of the consumer to figure out how much they want, or more importantly, can spend at the checkout; how do we make flowers somewhat of a necessity; how do you get your produce manager and store manager behind you and willing to give you the extra floor space you need to generate those extra retail dollars everyone expects.

Its important to keep learning, keep trying to understand your customers, your market and be ready to make adjustments. If you keep learning, you keep earning.

So let's talk flowers. Do you have questions about water temps or ph or types of light that should be used in your department; or suggestions that other stores can use? Let's talk!