Makch 18, 1920 



The Florists^ Review 



35 



Aa Easter Table Centerpiece Filled with a Variety of Light Colored SpringI Flowers. 



cept own foliage should be dealt out, 

 unless with extra fine orders. 



In the arrangement of blooming 

 plants in the salesroom, be sure to sepa- 

 rate varieties and colors. It will be 

 much easier then to make a selection 

 than to roam all over the room picking 

 the choicest plant of a favorite variety. 

 Don't fill up small gaps too promptly; 

 let people see that you are selling and 

 what you are selling, and a choice will 

 be more quickly made. Let there be 

 more business with less work for this 

 rush. 



MAKING EASTER PROFITABLE. 



Watching the Extra Expenses. 



If the volume of business done by a 

 retailer during Easter week could be 

 extended over a long enough period to 

 be handled without the cost of addi- 

 tional store help, drivers, errand boys, 

 horses or automobiles, the profits would 

 naturally be more than under the pres- 

 ent circumstances. Still, by carefully 

 "Watching every detail the extra ex- 

 penses can be greatly reduced, and 

 every dollar saved at this time is a dol- 

 'ar added to the profits. 



J'irst of all, refer to your notes on 

 ''1st Easter and see how violets, sweet 

 peas, roses, etc., sold, and in placing 

 your orders for this year's supply order 

 accordingly, allowing a liberal amount 

 *<^'r increased business, but do not buy 

 '■e' Klessly. It is more profitable to lose 

 a 'f'w sales than to have several thou- 

 sruMl violets left the day after. 



Baskets sell well at Easter, but should 

 "f't be made up too long before or too 

 J"any at one time. It is more advisable 

 ^0 make them up as the demand rc- 

 I'l'res, for immediately after Easter the 



market for thorn will be gone and then 

 the stock in tliom will be practically 

 useless. 



The Extra Help. 



Plants and baskets should all be 

 marked with the selling price by some 

 ( ompetent person and this price should 

 not be cut without first consulting the 

 person in charge. It is also wise not 

 to allow the extra salespeople to sell 

 (lit flowers, especially roses, unloss they 

 have had previous experience in han- 

 dling flowers, as many an oxpcnssivo 

 rose or carnation is broken through iio- 

 iiig carelessly handled. Let none but 

 your regular help sell cut flowers or 

 take orders for design work. 



By using some judgment in engaging 

 > our extra help, many a dollar can be 

 saved. Hire enough help, but do not 

 ijivc every friend or relative a job just 

 to make yourself a good fellow. Frionds 

 arc all very well, but treat them as you 

 would strangers if you wish them to 

 cam their pay in Easter week. 



Unnecessary Wastefulness. 



In putting up the numerous boxes 

 of loose flowers for delivery, an extra 

 flower of a kind of which you have a 

 surplus in stock will do no harm, but 

 often, in their enthusiasm or forgetful- 

 uoss, employees will fail to keep track 

 of their count and, if this is not guarded 

 against, many dollars will be given 

 away, for which not you but the sender 

 will receive thanks. If you want to 

 give flowers away, enclose your card 

 and send them where they will bring re- 

 turns. 



Plants should all be carefully 

 wrapped to guard against cold and 

 Lreakage, but much unnecessary waste 

 of paper and twine is often caused dur- 



ing the rush by allowing these mate- 

 rials to be trampled underfoot. This, 

 of course, is a small item; still, if the 

 small leaks are closely watched there 

 will probably be no large leaks. 



Troubles That May Be Avoided. 



Instruct your salespeople not to ask 

 too many questions as to when an arti- 

 cle shall be delivered; this will give you 

 more leeway. Also see that the full, 

 correct address of the customer is ob- 

 tained; this will save many an extra 

 trip, or perhaps a pull from east to west 

 or north to south. 



There is no reason why profits on such 

 occasions as Easter or Christmas should 

 not be in proportion to our regular 

 profits. It is natural for a person to get 

 careless when business is rushing and 

 this carelessness costs money. By keep- 

 ing an eye on all that is going on, you 

 can stop many a small leak and thereby 

 earn many an extra dollar during an 

 Easter rush. 



THE FACULTY OF BEING READY. 



A Useful Faculty at Easter. 



There are some men who never seem 

 to be ready for anything, no matter 

 how much time they have had to pre- 

 pare, while there are others whom an 

 emergency seldom finds off their guard. 

 The differences in the two are readily 

 seen in a retail store at a holiday like 

 Piaster. To which of the foregoing 

 classes do you belong? 



The retailer who grows his own stock 

 can easily have at least two-thirds of 

 the plants wrapped, with the number 

 r.f flowers penciled on the wrapper, the 

 day before. Orders can be rapidly filled 



