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The Florists^ Review 



March 11, 1920 



RETAIL STORE MANAGEMENT 



WHAT THE LEADERS IN THE TRADE ARE DOING 



EABLY STABT FOR EASTER. 



Long beforehand the florist makes 

 his preparation to handle Easter busi- 

 ness when the rush comes. But does he 

 make sufficient attempt to book orders 

 before the few heavy days of Easter 

 buying? Inducing the public to make 

 an early start for Easter is as important 

 a way of lightening the burden when 

 the day at last arrives as are the ar- 

 rangements which the florist makes in 

 his store to handle the great number of 

 orders. While the latter, however, is a 

 matter of course, the former is not gen- 

 erally done. 



Some florists have made it a practice 

 each year to advertise for Easter orders 

 two or three weeks before that day and 

 have booked many orders from persons 

 who recognize the wisdom of doing their 

 shopping early. The retailer can make 

 quotations on plants, so as to present 

 a definite oflier to the purchaser. 



Particular effort to get telegraph de- 

 livery orders beforehand meets with 

 good response. The results obtained are 

 well worth the work to get them. The 

 florist is enabled often to transmit his 

 orders by mail, thus avoiding the errors 

 so frequent in telegrams relayed at a 

 rush time. And persons who send 

 flowers to parents at the old home or to 

 other relatives or to friends at Easter 

 time desire infallible service. The 

 florist also has more time to explain the 

 nature of telegraph service to patrons 

 who have not used it before if they 

 make their inquiries before the final 

 period of rush and hurry. This feature 

 of the Easter holiday sales is worth 

 pushing strongly this season. Each 

 succeeding holiday in the last two years 



has seen a larger and larger proportion 

 of wire orders. The number for this 

 Easter is expected to be larger than 

 ever. 



The retailer who makes frequent 

 changes of window displays will find it 

 profitable to use a telegraph idea two 

 weeks before Easter, changing to one 

 of local nature as the holiday ap- 

 proaches perhaps. Other suggestions 

 will present themselves to individual 

 florists. The holiday sales will reach 

 a big total. By getting an early start 

 you may develop them as fully as pos- 

 sible with less strain and hurry. 



ARE YOUR PATRONS IRISH? 



Among the holidays that make sales 

 for the florist, St. Patrick's day does 

 not rank among the highest. It is, how- 

 ever, the occasion of considerable busi- 

 ness, and the retailer is able to add to 

 next week 's total by making some effort 

 for that day. Various opinions are held 

 as to the artistic value of green-dyed 

 flowers in the florist 's shop. Aside from 

 that item, there are the opportunities 

 that shamrock plants and the various 

 fanciful containers for them afford. 

 These are not the only plants that can 

 be sold for this day. Others may be 

 decorated with green so as to be readily 

 salable to Hibernian celebrants. 



On this occasion, as on others, the 

 florist reaps according as he sows. A 

 window display to attract the passers' 

 eyes and preparations beforehand to 

 care for the orders are bound to result 

 in increased sales March 17. At the 

 present time, when flowers are abund- 

 ant, any occasion for the florist to push 

 sales should be welcomed and utilized. 



The retailer who makes extra effort, 

 not only at the big holidays, but also as 

 often as opportunity seems to offer in 

 between, runs up a big yearly total. The 

 small increases all along the line make 

 an exceedingly respectable aggregate. 

 St. Patrick's day offers the chance to 

 get a little extra. 



A MATTER OF ARRANOEBCENT. 



To display all there is to be displayed, 

 to show all to good advantage, and yet 

 to avoid an appearance of crowding too 

 much into small space, is a problem 

 which confronts many a florist. Many 

 solve it after much trial and tribula- 

 tion, but not all. One firm which has 

 done so is the American Flower Shop, 

 at Birmingham, Ala., which, one would 

 say after a study of the illustration on 

 this page, had plenty on display. Still 

 there is an air of spaciousness about 

 the store which gives comfort to vis- 

 iting purchasers of flowers. The Ameri- 

 can Flower Shop has solved other prob- 

 lems of the trade and is doing an ex- 

 cellent business this season. 



PIN HEADS TO MATCH B0X7QUET. 



The society dame and damsel long 

 since demanded shoe uppers and spats 

 to match their suits and dresses; now 

 they go further and must have bou- 

 quet pins the heads of which match the 

 colors of the flowers. A violet corsage 

 bouquet must be pinned with a violet- 

 headed pin, etc. 



Up-to-the-minute florists have yielded 

 to the vogue; possibly they have en- 

 couraged it. The fad may give them a 

 slight edge on competitors seeking the 

 ultra-fashionable trade. 



The corsage pins have glass heads, 

 made colorless originally and dipped 

 into enamel of any color desired. The 

 enamel is baked on. The pins cost 

 little and the florist can furnish one 

 with each bouquet without wrecking his 

 profit on the flowers. 



RHYMES THAT REINFORCE. 



Interior View of Store of the American Flower Sbopt at Birmingham, Ala. 



GreetlngB to Go with Gifts. 



The designer of floral decorations and 

 pieces, as well as the man who makei 

 them up, may think of his work as the 

 chief art of the trade. But there are 

 important allied arts, which seldom re- 

 ceive due attention or employment. Of 

 these, the art of the poet, though per- 

 haps least often found, is most easily 

 used. As W. J. Olds, of Union City, Pa., 

 remarks, "In encouraging our friend* 

 to 'Say It with Flowers,' it may he 

 helpful occasionally to supply along 

 with the flowers some little interpreta- 

 tion of their possible message. Witb 

 some adaptation of the message to the 

 flower and the occasion, the value a,ni 



