Mark’s Bloomin’ Journal

Here we are again, the week prior to Valentine’s Day and the whole world’s fancy turns to roses, or something akin to that. For the most part the rose growers around the world have done their part and the air freight companies are now in full flight (or attempting full flights) and will be through the week and into the coming weekend when the FedEx squadrons get hit by the huge spike created by the ecommerce players and the usual last minute guys shopping online. Yall know who you are!

Here is your hottest and best tip for Valentine’s day 2007. The world’s best,nee Ecuadorian, two dozen roses, (a growers bunch) red or any other color are available from $99.00 (Mixed Colors) to $125 (red) from now through February 15th 2007. Only at www.flowerbud.com. Read on and you will see why.

Every year, if not every month, I become aware of more and more outlets for you to buy Roses from, both on and offline. A few, like Flowerbud.com are still pure play ecommerce companies with direct links to farms around the world while others have a brick and mortar component to go along with the web sales or merely spin off orders to sites unseen and farms unknown. I see pricing scattered to the winds so to speak and will attempt to save you a whole lot of searching and hopefully some heartache if you will bear with me. I found it very confusing myself, and I of all people am supposed to understand this business inside out and back to front. One thing that does come to light is that it is nigh impossible to compare roses with roses as everyone is using differing quantities, differing grades and differing shipment methods. Some are from businesses that year around only buy the very best and maintain margins for the sake of business longevity, some are from businesses using them as loss leaders. Some are from businesses selling in quantities and sizes not accurately depicted in the marketing pieces. Many, read all, require the addition of packing and shipping charges to arrive at anything close to an accurate comparison with Flowerbud.

No one is more assidious in maintaining the quality of its roses over the Valentine’s period to reflect its year around ethic than your very own Flowerbud.com. We work with the very best Ecuadorian Farms, without question the best intermediary in Miami and our sole and trusted shipper remains FedEx. That… in the world of online fresh flowers (of any kind) has proven to be an unbeatable combination.

Fresh in from Ecuador later this week will be the roses we have ordered for your Valentine. They are from the same few superior farms we purchase from year around, they are still large headed “Russian Cut” and still 60 CM. Our business relationships in Ecuador allow for a certain “preference” that should not be underestimated. They are available from Flowerbud in a classic red, in a brand new mixed color bunch and in a full complement of our other colors for those not wishing the traditional (or ordering way too late to get red). I sell the red for $125.00 for 25 stems. The mixed colors are a bargain by any measure at $99.00 and all others are $115.00 for 25 stems. These prices as always reflect the very best of product, packing and overnight FedEx shipping. Not inexpensive but not unreasonable in the light of reflecting the true cost of the transaction and the maintenance of customary margins on which good business survives. There is not a hint nor a “scent” of gouging in these prices.

The news just in from Ecuador and Colombia should give conniption fits to some right now, even as we are assured that our roses are on time and our farms own air freight charters are flying two extra aircraft a day, there are as of this writing, five B747’s sitting on the airport aprons in Ecuador and Colombia awaiting being filled. A process being slowed by the sudden inclement weather experienced yesterday. It is not bad enough so as to prevent flying, as the story might go, just bad enough to slow down flower production. No one can afford to fly a half full B747, hence they sit, waiting. I think this bodes ill for those who try and bleed the growers white at times like this and when the crop itself suddenly looks unlikely to produce the abundance that can weaken the pricing and profit model.

Anyway, to that wind scattered pricing again. I will be happy to serve as one of those “bots” that purportedly seek out the bargains. I very much doubt their sagacity in recognising a “Russian Cut” rose versus a tight cut sweetheart or a spray of unknown provenance, yet don’t doubt for a second their unerring ability to find the bottom of the market in pricing and thus quality. Just remember that it is aways a case of buyer beware and in general you get what you pay for in terms of product and service. The latter is incredibly important at this most emotional of flower giving moments. Flowerbud has it.

So,on to the findings of the “bot” and please note that I have added in all pertinent shipping charges for you on all the sites. An onerous exercise in and of itself on all bar Flowerbud where the listed price always covers the transaction in its entirety, product, packing AND shipping;

The Lady in NYC…who I once knew to the extent she wished to acquire Flowerbud. After some mental arithmetic and digging around it looks like TWO dozen red roses can be had for approx $103.97 and ONE dozen for $69.97

Wal-Mart offers TWO dozen “Medium Stemmed” red roses and some baby’s breath for $52.85. This is what you get when applying “pressure” on suppliers to be more sustainable and environmentaly minded. I get the feeling these orders gets spun out to an FTD participant.

FTD seems to offer the near identical bouquet of “Premium Red Rose” but for $145.98 (the vase and everything but a sprig of fern looks to be eerily similar)

Pro Flowers, also an ex suitor, this year will require $124.94 for TWO dozen “Long Stemmed Fancy Red Roses”. They apparently have an updated look that will make you swoon!

Red Envelope…for a little beauty and drama you might well consider paying $81.99 for ONE dozen red roses. Am not sure of the provenance of these roses.

Hallmark…TWO dozen “captivated” red roses along with babys breath will arrive at whoevers doorstep you wish for $115.94. Something comes to mind when I view the babys breath component, as recently I had a very amusing Australian customer on the line. He was skiing in Colorado and needed some flowers for his “missus” in California… but only if there was none off that “damn dogs breath crud” along with it. I assured him that Flowerbud has yet to sell a hint of the stuff and instantly made a new, if rough and ready customer from “down under”.

1-800-flowers…with a little digging and again the severe taxing of my math skills I arrive at $132.98 for “A Double Touch Of Elegance” in TWO dozen red roses delivered and $72.98 for ONE dozen. (Please read the addendum of 2/6)

Calyx and Corolla…there are some bells and whistles accompanying these red roses that make comparison futile. The prices range from $125.99 for ONE dozen with cube vase and hatbox to $142.94 for TWO dozen when in the company of a vase and chocolates. Somewhere in the middle are options for SIXTEEN stems at $105.95 and $91.90 for TEN stems of spray roses in a rhinestone dotted vase,

Just so that you dont think the US has cornered the rose market my peers in London are offering TWO dozen “Grand Prix” for $200.00 at the current exchange rate.

So there you go, a quick rundown of your options outwith your local florist, who can likely still do the job for you…especially if you are so tardy as to be reading this after 11 AM PST on Feb 13th 2007 or, heaven forbid on the 14th itself!!

As an addendum to the original posting, a revisit to these sites on 2/6/07 revealed some startling changes in pricing from the originals posted late January…and I mean startling; ProFlowers almost overnight has jacked its pricing up on one of its offerings and 1-800-flowers has arrived at a baby’s breathtaking $174.99 and $127.98 for Two and ONE dozen respectively.  Believe it or not, Red Envelope seems no longer to be offering red roses!

Flowerbud.com…25 “Red Valentine’s Roses” From the very best of Ecuadorian rose growers. Farms I have visited myself within recent memory. $125.00 delivered. It is just that simple, they are just that good. If by chance red does not do it then don’t forget I am sure to have a color to suit…and all without “dog’s breath”. Flowerbud pricing and quality withstands all scrutiny…

This entry was posted on Monday, February 5th, 2007 at 5:20 pm and is filed under Business, Flowerbud, Flowers, Musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.