ATIGtrST 9, 1900. 



The Weekly Rorists' Review* 



275 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



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The Convention. 



We would be glad to see a large 

 gathering of retailers at the conven- 

 tion in New York. We believe it 

 would be to the interest of every am- 

 bitious florist to pay a visit to this 

 city during that event, not merely for 

 what you can see and hear at the con- 

 vention, though that in itself will be 

 worth traveling the longest distance 

 to enjoy, but to see the city, visit the 

 stores, see all the latest, and get point- 

 ers on general business matters, and 

 pick up hints as to what will be all 

 the vogue ne.xt season. Every sen- 

 sible florist knows the value of ad- 

 vance information on stock and style; 

 such information is often worth more 

 than money. You can find out all you 

 want to know in New York; what 

 goes there will go anywhere. The 

 great stores will be glad to have you 

 examine ribbons, baskets, wire de- 

 signs, jardinieres, vases and all the 

 little and big things that are a neces- 

 sary part of the business. You needn't 

 buy — see what there is as an improve- 

 ment on what you can get nearer 

 home. 



A Society of Retail Florists. 



Perhaps a crowd of retailers can hs 

 got together on this occasion and 

 form some manner of organization to 

 protect and advance their own inter- 

 ests. The necessity for a society of 

 retail florists is apparent to everyone 

 in that line of business. Not for a 

 mere social happy-go-lucky, ha'f- 

 hearted society, but one that will be 

 of use in sending out useful informa- 

 tion on credits, supply of stock, the 

 latest in decoration and design work, 

 and most of all restriction or prohibi- 

 tion of street stands and peddlers, 

 and many other important affairs con- 

 cerning the welfare of every floiist 

 with a store. The impression is aliroad 

 that on account of alleged jealousy 

 between one another the retailers will 

 never come together; this can be 

 proved to be wrong. 



Come to New York the 21st of Au- 

 gust; we will be glad to have a chat 

 with you on all pertaining to store 

 work, and help you to see whatever is 

 of interest to you in this city. You 

 can address us at 43 West 28th tt , 

 or at the Review's desk at the Grand 

 Central Palace. 



Cr^ dits. 



We have been asked to say some- 

 thing on the matter of credits. The 



subject is a gigantic one — a steep cliff 

 in which the veins of delicacy render 

 it nigh impossible to climb. Credit is 

 perhaps a necessary lever to every 

 class of trade, but of late years, more 

 through indifference than aught else. 

 the credit system has grown to be a 

 life destroying octopus, and if it is 

 permitted to continue unchecked there 

 is no telling what it will create. The 

 trust combinations, so powerful in 

 many lines of trade, are more the 

 children of long winded credits than 

 anything else, and there may come a 

 day when organization will control 

 the best on the flower and plant mar- 

 ket. 



What is commonly described as the 

 over-supply of flowers and plants in 

 many of the large cities is responsible 

 for much of the evil, for a grower or 

 his agent often becomes dejected or 

 demoralized at the depression in the 

 market and in consequence sells to 

 anyone conditionless, in order to 

 make a sale. This naturally affects 

 the retailer and in many ways too. 

 On the same block with you an ack- 

 nowledged fraud may open a fine 

 store, and because his tongue is loose 

 and supple he can get all the stock he 

 wants, or at least enough to undersell 

 you and destroy your trade, and he 

 never or seldom pays for his stock; 

 this is done in almost every large 

 city. The average wholesaler today 

 we believe would rather sell to a ped- 

 dler for cash at a less figure, than to 

 the store keeper, because it is neces- 

 sary for him to get cash to pay his 

 growers weekly or semi-monthly; 

 That's where the grower has the best 

 part of the stick. 



On the other hand the retailer has 

 many difficulties to contend with, and 

 we know today there are a great many 

 thousands of dollars on their books 

 which can never be collected. This 

 money represents a bad investment. 

 Yes, indeed, the indiscriminate and 

 reckless credit system of doing busi- 

 ness as so generally practiced today is 

 guilty of all the crimes imaginable, 

 and in a discussion of the subject one 

 cannot but hurt the too tender feel- 

 ings of a great many. 



We regret we cannot exonerate the 

 retailers themselves from participa- 

 tion in this worst of all business 

 abuses. We go the rounds of the mar- 

 kets quite frequently, and are the con- 

 fidant of most houses. It is an every 

 day occurrence for us to hear such 

 and such a one (people who have 



great glittering stores, gaudy delivery 

 wagons, wear finest clothes, live high, 

 drive pleasure turnouts, etc., etc.) 

 does not pay his bills only when he 

 feels like doing so, perhaps once or 

 twice a year. And the most of this 

 is done through carelessness or the 

 mistaken idea that it is necessary to 

 have so much money in the bank in 

 order to be classed as a financier, and 

 it doesn't matter who suffers. 



Ivera is often blamed by his ac- 

 quaintances for speaking out the 

 truth. They admit the existence of 

 evils but would prefer to encourage 

 their growth by weak language, 

 rather than ruffle the frills of sicken- 

 ing etiquette by saying the right 

 words. We would like to see the flor- 

 ist business raised to something near 

 a cash basis; it could be done without 

 coercion if all would but stop to con- 

 sider and realize the gross injustice 

 of much that is done. Nor can any 

 section of the trade be exonerated. 

 An impartial investigation of the con- 

 dition of affairs as they exist today 

 give rise to the query of whither are 

 we drifting? and the question is hard, 

 very hard to answer. 



Credits to Retail Buyers. 



Regarding the difficulties encoun- 

 tered by the retailer in giving long 

 credit to his customers, there are 

 many ways to look at the matter. In 

 a city like New York there are a vast 

 number of people who live on their 

 abundancy of cheek. There are many 

 grades of frauds in human nature. 

 The most harmful to you in the pol- 

 ished society parasite. To recount our 

 own knowledge and experiences with 

 this class of human drones would re- 

 quire a good sized volume. 



Today many, yes very many, of 

 those whose names are most promi- 

 nent in the sprees and actions of the 

 "Upper Ten," or the "American Aris- 

 tocracy," do not own the fine apparel 

 they wear, cannot, do not pay for the 

 necessaries of life. We know many 

 almost penniless men who have grown 

 old and grey. Their sole ambition in 

 life has been to capture some wealthy 

 girl for a wife. Every year they del- 

 uge each debutante they can manage 

 to be introduced to with huge baskets 

 and boxes of the choicest flowers. 

 They of course get them on credit 

 from the poor florist who gloats over 

 the idea of having his gilded wagon 

 deliver regular orders to the heiress' 

 palatial home. Very often his imagi- 

 nations conjure up an elaborate wed- 

 ding decoration, and he worries him- 

 self, his help and his growers in order 

 to give satisfaction to such a customer. 

 Most often the girl is not caught by 

 flowers, the suitor cannot pay for 

 them, tears up the bill with a snort 

 of indignation, and gives impudence 

 to the deluded florist, and tries and 

 dupes another for the next attempt. 

 This class of customers is not exactly 

 a "dead beat;" he is more of a specu- 



