I overheard a customer at the register yesterday say 'it's just flowers, why does it cost so much?' and it got me thinking about how we undervalue our work

She was buying a mixed bouquet for her friend's birthday, nothing fancy - some roses, alstroemeria, and filler. I heard the price was around $65 and she made that comment. It reminded me how people don't see the 5 AM trips to the wholesale market, the buckets we scrub, the stems we strip, the 20% we lose to spoilage every week. My cost on that bouquet was probably $28 after labor and waste. She walked out still grumbling. How do you all handle customers who think we just grab stuff and wrap it?

2 comments

2 Comments

lindaw2929d ago

People complain about everything, it's not that deep.

young.emma1mo ago

The 5 AM thing is real but you might be overestimating your labor costs a bit. $28 on a $65 bouquet is about 43 percent cost which is actually pretty normal for retail florists, most shops aim for 30-40 percent cost of goods sold. Your labor is factored into that markup so when you say $28 after labor and waste that sounds like you're double counting. Customers definitely don't get the waste part though, watching people complain about paying $65 while they're wearing $200 sneakers makes me lol every time. Next time someone pulls that on you just smile and say "well the roses don't pick themselves unfortunately" and watch them try to argue with that logic haha.