Februaky 2o, 1904. 



The Weekly Florists* Review. 



647 



E. A. Nelson and Dorothy. All these 

 varieties are good bloomers and of aver- 

 age quality. It would be hard to give 

 a fair estimate of how many you ought 

 to pick each week from such a house. 

 So many different things would have 

 more orless bearing on the results that 

 I would not like to make an estimate. 



It would also be wroug to expect the 

 same quantity each week through the 

 season, as some weeks when the weather 

 is bad you may not pick a hundred 

 Ijlooms, while other weeks during a fine 

 spell you may pick ;i thousand or more 

 toward spring. 



A. F. J. Baur. 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



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HOW TO HANDLE CUSTOMERS. 



[A paper bv J. A. E. Haiigh, of .\ndei-son. 

 road before the State Florists' Association of 

 IiidlaDa.] 



A florist without customers would be 

 like a river without water and as the 

 buyer is a prime factor in our trade, it 

 may not be idle to turn our thoughts to 

 some of the fancies and ways of this 

 often shy being and to describe some of 

 the baits that may lure him to our de- 

 sires. Do not hope to hear anything 

 new, but a mere rehear.sal of what has 

 long been known is frequently of benefit. 



First of all, fair and honest treatment 

 to all. and the same to all, is an inva- 

 riable practice to follow; other things 

 are niceties which, while valuable are 

 not the most important. 



Keep an Attractive Store. 



Too much emphasis cannot be laid on 

 having the greenhouses bright and at- 

 tractive. Dirt, litter and disorder will 

 not help sales. A frequent change in 

 the arrang?ment of the salesroom and 

 houses is valuable. Novelties in jdants 

 or supplies help to win visitors. Noth- 

 ing takes the eye like something new or 

 strange and it pays to always keep a 

 few rarities in stock although the direct 

 benefit be not noticeable; and especially 

 is this so in smaller towns, which have 

 but few attractions to beckon the citi- 

 zen with an idle hour. 



Nothing, we think, helps sales more 

 than the knowledge that the greenhouse 

 is always open to visitors in all its parts, 

 irrespective of intention to purchase. Our 

 practice is to welcome each person with 

 genial courtesy upon his entrance, learn 

 if he has any wants and if not cordially 

 invite him to view the entire place and 

 make it plain that we will cheerfully 

 give any information aljout plants or 

 flowers the visitor may desire. Or, if 

 a purchaser, after having seen to his 

 business, we ask him also to take a look 

 through the houses. On departure, be 

 he purchaser or not, we extend to him 

 a hearty invitation to visit us again and 

 bring any of his friends he may desiro. 

 We believe it poor policy to urge a visi- 

 tor to buy and often have our reward 

 by unexpected sales. We find it a good 

 advertisement to give a flower for the 

 visitor to keep or give to a friend, but 

 in this one must use discretion. 



Guide to Good Selection. 



Often it is well to guide the ideas 

 of a customer for his own benefit. An 

 outlandish funeral offering may be modi- 

 fied to something more in keeping with 

 the occasion bv a little .judicious advice. 

 The ire of a patron who learns that he 



has unknowingly been permitted to make 

 a mistake against good taste is not de- 

 sirable. If one finds the wishes of the 

 buyer positive along a certain line, make 

 every ett'ort to meet his ideas and with- 

 out leaving the impression that you think 

 he has made a mistake by not following 

 your advice. 



Giving a little better than is expected 

 is a good rule, but here again you must 

 use discretion. If roses or carnations 

 are ordered and you desire to put in 

 extras of the same kind as sold, better 

 put in the same grade as those pur- 

 chased. Before we learned this we had 

 several unpleasant experiences with pa- 

 trons who had received half a dozen 

 extra flowers of second quality added 

 to the full number of those bought. The 

 angry buyer would inquire why such 

 flowers had been sent when the best 

 had been paid for and would be much 

 chagrined on learning that if he had 

 taken time to count the flowers he would 

 not have reproved us when a favor ha<l 

 reallv been conferred; it does not al- 



flowers onl.v, leaving out of considera- 

 tion time and material used. One way 

 to do this is to openly inform your party 

 that you have to make a small extra 

 charge for this, or you can ask how 

 much they desire to put into their of- 

 fering and thus get them onto the proper 

 basis. Tn the case of rose bouquets the 

 difference in ])rice between the best and 

 the second grade ordinarily used in 

 bouquets and with just as good effect,, 

 sufficiently remunerates the florist for 

 the work of making up, but I believe; 

 the first method is the best in dealing 

 with this dili'nuna. 



Send Neat Packages. 



Neat and careful packing cannot be 

 too highly insisted upon. Broken buds, 

 bruised carnations and slovenly packages 

 are but poor recommendations for trade, 

 and especially where a gift has been in- 

 tended. Do nothing to detract from the 

 beauty of the flowers or to shame the 

 donor. We have often been eomnliraent- 

 cd for the very dainty appearance of a 

 really cheap box of flowers, but made 

 attractive by special arrangement of lit- 

 tle odds and ends and neatly wrapped 

 and tied. We have seen packages sent 

 from first-class growers that were a 

 ilisgrace to the concern sending them 

 out and the value in time and paper 

 saved by an overly thrifty man can be 

 more tlian lost through the feeling o 

 an irate buyer who wonders how low 

 he is rated by the florist who dares to 

 send him so poor an example of thought- 

 fulness. 



Potted plants should always be free of 

 dirt, dead leaves, etc., the soil properly 

 moistened and if a costly plant, especial- 

 ly if intended as a gift, it should often 

 be dressed with crepe pajier, ribbon, etc.,. 

 before delivery. We belie\e it best tO' 

 volunteer information about some daintjr 

 Init d?Iicate plant to an unwitting in- 

 tending pundiaser, for while that sale- 



Echinopsis Mulleri Bordering a Walk at Los Angeles, Cal. 



ways leave the apologizing customer in 

 the sweetest frame of mind. 



A rather difficult jiroposition to meet, 

 is the one where you are asked the 

 price per dozen of certain flowers and 

 are then requested to make an arrange- 

 ment of several dozen, with the expecta- 

 tion that the cost will be that of the 



may not be made, the confidence in- 

 stilled in his mind will not be unre- 

 warded. 



Delivery should always be prompt, but 

 here a little discreet inquiry may save a 

 long special run when it is developed 

 that the buyer's train will depart four 

 or five hours later than the designated 



