APRIL 21;, 1900. 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



659 



Some Easter Lessons. 



Things heard, seen and thought of 

 during the Easter rusli will not be 

 out of place to discuss now. for if 

 there be any merit in a thing it is 

 good at all times. The wise will be 

 always willing to learn and the best 

 lessons are often purchased by experi- 

 ence. Events like Easter affoi'd the 

 florist an opportunity to show his ar- 

 tistic and business ability, and this 

 should not be measured by the volume 

 of business done, but in the manner 

 in which permanent effects have been 

 catered to or assured, for it is good 

 to consider quality as against quan- 

 tity in all things and weigh ultimate 

 accomplishments. 



To the fakir we have nothing to say, 

 his success is due principally to the 

 cheap or shoddy element in human 

 nature, and though at times he may 

 intrude upon or occupy the place of 

 the legitimate business man, some 

 small circumstance may remove his 

 temporary prosperity like the wind 

 would blow away chaff. The solid 

 business man or woman must adopt 

 different methods to success. Their 

 aims are not merely for temporary but 

 for permanent results. Their business, 

 like the towering building, is raised 

 by perseverance and the careful usage 

 of measured thought and act. les, 

 'tis true, some have builf greenhouses 

 and opened stores and won apparently 

 flourishing trade on nothing, neither 

 money, ability nor effort. It is hard 

 to account for some things; but there 

 is no glory won by results of lethargic 

 payments of obligations, and whether 

 they occupy glass palaces or not they 

 are but fakirs who pay but seldom or 

 not at all for the goods they buy; 

 that is really the only way to judge, 

 for any one can buy, not all can pay. 



Don't misjudge us, our sympathies 

 are with the poor and struggling 

 whose very intention is worth the ac- 

 tual deed of others. We refer to the 

 proud, false, glittering objects which 

 leave nothing behind except execra- 

 tions and regrets. You had the efforts 

 of these to deal with at Easter time, 

 and the best way to combat evil influ- 

 ence is to be careful of your own ac- 

 tions. Popularity is everything to a 



business nowadays, and this can be 

 won in several ways. The easiest and 

 cheapest is to appear pleasant on all 

 occasions; no one likes to deal with 

 a gruff or sour person, and many a 

 time and oft, as most of you know, 

 customers will come long distances to 

 you, not because they could not do 

 better nearer home, but for some rea- 

 son even you cannot explain; there- 

 fore, the greatest care should always 

 be used to give satisfaction. 



Unfortunately at busy times regular 

 customers are compelled to put up 

 with much indilTerence, many times 

 with neglect, and their tolerance and 

 good nature should be rewarded. 

 Small orders are often forgotten in 

 the great hurrah, and there will be 

 numerous justifiable complaints which 

 should receive careful and generous 

 attention. 



Many of you have plants left over 

 from Easter which could have been 

 placed to good advantage before you 

 closed on Easter Sunday. In most 



cases it is bad to send plants grati.s 

 to any one, if the impression is im- 

 parled that you would not have given 

 thc'Mi if you could have sold then). 

 Opinions thus created are only capable 

 of bearing contempt. There's a nice 

 way of avoiding many unpleasant 

 things by timely consideration. It is 

 difficult, we know, to attend to every 

 detail and have everything success- 

 fully done at a time like Easter, but 

 you should profit by the lessons given, 

 remomlioring that it is not always the 

 quantity of help but rather the quality 

 and system that accomplishes best re- 

 sults. There is a great deal done 

 when proper preparations are made. 

 The trade is much divided on many 

 small matters; it is a case of many 

 men. many minds, yet the system 

 which reduces labor and expedites 

 business should be adopted. 



Now in the matter of "order" or 

 "day" books versus order pads, there 

 is much to discuss. We prefer the 

 printed order pad of a size convenient 

 for the pocket. There should be no 

 lines on it and only a few words print- 

 ed, such as "ordered by" on top and 

 "sent to" above where the address is 

 put at the bottom. The simpler the or- 

 der sheet the better, for in a rush you 

 have no time to conform to lines or 

 fill in examination-like blanks. Files 

 are cheap and are of great convenience 

 and preservative value. You need only 

 three or four in actual warfare. Pin 

 the card, if any. on the order sheet 

 and put it on the "order file" face up. 

 When you enter that order in your 

 account book write out the address 

 tag also, and mark the order sheet, in 

 blue pencil, a. m. or p. m., and the 

 day it is for. Put that on the checked 

 file, or you can dispense with entering 

 in the book till the rush is over, but 



Store of Aldred & Co., New York, at Easter. 



