Late March is usually is a bustling period for florists — with wedding, school event and spring holiday planning kicking into high gear. This week, many florists weighed in on just how hard it is to make any routine planning decisions right now.
Jennifer Barnard of Tillie’s Flower Shop
SAF Retailers Council Member Jennifer Barnard of Tillie’s Flower Shop in Wichita, Kansas, said purchasing is one of her primary concerns.
“The last two days sales have dropped 50 percent,” she explained on March 17. “We don’t know what will happen next week or two weeks from now. Because of the unknown, we aren’t sure how to adjust purchasing,” and that dilemma extends into holiday prep and planning.
Some of the companies Barnard buys fresh product from “want a decision now for the flowers I will receive 11 days from now. It was easy to cancel the flowers for events we knew were canceled: proms, banquets, weddings, etc. Farms want to know if we need to adjust our Easter pre-books — but what if we are closed?”
Barnard said her team made the decision to cut floral purchasing by 50 percent for next week. “We cut our Easter lilies by 50 percent,” she added. “We haven’t made a decision on Easter flowers yet… This is normally a time that we are deciding on Mother’s Day pre-books, it’s hard to plan for a high demand holiday when we are unsure of business day to day.”
Tyler Meskers of Oregon Flowers
SAF Next Gen Task Force Member Tyler Meskers of Oregon Flowers in Aurora, Oregon, pointed out that growers face their own dilemmas: “The news is changing fast, and the right decisions need to be made,” he said.
“As a grower, we have crop planted in the greenhouse to be cut today, tomorrow, next week, next month, and four months from now,” he explained. “We’ll continue to produce and try and sell but our wholesale customers are simply not buying. We are lucky to have a few grocery store customers taking a few orders.”
(SAF is currently working on an update to current, evolving supply chain issues. Look for additional information soon in member communications.)
In Ogden, Utah, SAF Retailers Council Member Brian Kusuda of Jimmy’s Flowers said it’s “scary to think about how this will not only affect Mother’s Day business, but what the lasting effects of this crisis will be on the economy, especially small businesses.”
Brian Kusuda
“Many thought a recession was on the horizon, but as fast as this world crisis has hit us, we didn’t have time to prepare,” he added. “Companies on good financial ground should make it through just fine, but if you weren’t financially stable, this could really ruin a small business permanently.”
SAF Board Member Kaitlin Radebaugh, AAF, of Radebaugh Florist & Greenhouses in Towson, Maryland, is also preparing her business for longer-term impacts — through the spring holiday season and more.
“This is going to last a lot longer than 14 days,” she said, adding that florists should start reviewing their plans when it comes to sourcing product. “Err on the side of caution” for all future orders, she said.
Jackie Levine
As for weddings, SAF Next Gen Task Force Member Jackie Levine of Central Square Florist in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is encouraging her staff to be patient with frantic brides.
“ have empathy,” she said. “The cancelations are out of these people’s control. I’m telling people however they want to proceed is fine with me. If that means a full refund fine. If that means we put the event on hold until we figure things out that’s fine too. I’ve stressed to my clients that I both feel for them and I’m there for them.”
In Tampa, Florida, SAF Next Gen Task Force Member Zoë Gallina, AAF, said that Botanica International Design Studio is “trying to incentivize our clients to rebook their event to the summer or a weekday or Sunday.” The approach, she hopes, will pay off later this year, after the outbreak has been resolved, and as couples book dates for the busy fall season. It’s a strategy she wants to share with other florists.
Zoë Gallina, AAF
“We are still getting new inquiries for fall dates as a lot of clients don’t book us until six to eight months out,” she pointed out. “If you fill each prime fall date (Saturdays) with your postponing spring clients, you are going to find yourself at a double loss: You’re losing their spring date and then losing a spot in the fall.”
Barnard, too, is thinking ahead, to how her wedding and event work could be different in a few months, as postponed events “compete” with new bookings.
“A positive issue to think about is when this is over, there may be the possibility of increased weddings, events, and funerals because of postponements,” she said. “It’s possible that all at once there will be a high demand and some florists may not have the manpower or product to support the demand.”
“If florists are able to support these in a difficult time when others can’t, it could be an opportunity to establish new relationships,” she added.
Note to readers: SAF is closely monitoring the evolving situation with COVID-19. Please check our webinars page for an updated list of upcoming sessions, including planned presentations specific to weddings and events. Look for much more coverage of supply chain issues, HR concerns, financial management advice and more via SAF publications,safnow.tempurl.host and our webinar programming. Have a story angle you want us to cover? Email mwestbrook@safnow.org.
Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management magazine.
