68 



The Florists^ Review 



May 27, 1920. 



RETAIL STORE MANAGEMENT 



WHAT THE LEADERS IN THE TRADE ARE DOING 



OETTINO F. T. D. BUSINESS. 



That many things can be accom- 

 plished by earnest effort is brought out 

 by the results which were secured by the 

 BluMaize Blossom Shop in Ann Arbor, 

 Mich., a town slightly over 15,000 in 

 population and on the map mainly be- 

 cause it is the seat of the University of 

 Michigan. 



This store made an effort to get much 

 telegraph business at Easter and, when 

 the results were seen, one of the pro- 

 prietors, Alex Lurie, said that with the 

 proper effort he could double his Easter 

 business at Mothers' day. 



Towards this end a full-page adver- 

 tisement was placed in the local news- 

 paper, giving prominence to the tele- 

 graph delivery feature. A special direct 

 wire was installed in the store by the 

 telegraph company and the orders 

 came. After the rush was over and 

 things became quiet in the store, it was 

 found that besides the seventy-five let- 

 ters sent out with orders, 170 telegraph 

 orders were sent. 



The following letter was received 

 by the proprietors of the store from 

 the manager of the "Western Union Tele- 

 graph Co., at Ann Arbor: 



Referring to the telegraph loop placed In your 

 Btore for May 7 and 8 to handle Mothers' day 

 messages, I find, after cliecking up the numt>er 

 of messages handled from your store for the two 

 days, that there were 170, which I am sure yon 

 will agree was fine. Inasmuch as some of the 

 mei-sages contained more than one order, I be- 

 lieve that the 170 messages contained at least 

 200 orders. 



I am glad that you did so well with this 

 proposition and will be looking forward for a 

 "repeater" on the next occasion of this kind. 



I also want to take this opportunity to thank 

 you for using our service on this occasion, as 

 well as in your many other orders, and I hope 

 that the commendable manner in which these 

 messages were handled comes up to your expec- 

 tations. 



The size of the town docs not limit 



or help the progressiveness of florists. 



Getting telegraph business is a matter 



which should be considered by every 



florist. 



WHERE PAYMENT COMES IN. 



Many florists recognize the value of 

 making a new customer, but not so large 



number readily grasp the means of 



tiaking them. An advocate of special 



ales remarked, "I make good money 



n the sales though the margin on each 



transaction is small. The real payment 



comes in the new customers made." 



Speaking of another way of securing 

 new patrons, Henry Penn indicates what 

 the amount of that payment may actual- 

 ly be worth in dollars and cents. In 

 this connection he says: 



"Have you felt the importance of de- 

 livering a telegraph order to the patron 

 in your city? If you i)ut it up with 

 a bit of personal attention, you have the 

 possibility, at least, of creating a new 

 customer permanently. 



"Do you appreciate also that a de- 

 partment store figures every customer 

 that enters its doors costs the store in 

 the neighborhood of $3.12 just to get the 

 customer inf Now, here is another chan- 



nel of new business that not only gives 

 you entree, but also gives you a possible 

 customer. Give your telegraphic orders 

 as well as your own orders every atten- 

 tion possible. It pays." 



The leaders in the F. T. D. have urged 

 that each order be delivered with the 

 utmost attention and care, no matter 

 what the amount, and their urgings 

 were for just this reason. There may 

 not be much margin, if any, on an order 

 of less than $5, especially if it is to be 

 delivered in a big city or at a time when 

 flowers are high in price. But there is 

 adequate and real payment if a new 

 customer is made. 



various combinations of popular flowers, 

 as gifts for new arrivals or their parents, 

 were shown in various parts of the 

 window. 



HEEPE CO. HAS PRIVATE WIRE. 



The Western Union Telegraph Co. was 

 so impressed by the volume of business 

 transacted by the Heepe Co., at Akron, 

 O., for Easter that a private wire was 

 installed in the show window of this 

 concern for Mothers' day. 



The operator furnished was considered 

 one of the best on the Western Union 

 staff. Still she found it impossible to 

 do more than handle the outgoing mes- 

 sages. In the seven days preceding 

 Easter the Heepe Co. sent 537 messages 

 and in seven days before Mothers' day 

 575 messages were sent. 



The Heepe Co. is reputed to have one 

 of the finest flower stores in the country. 

 Both members of the concern, E, A. 

 Heepe and Henry Heepe, deserve credit 

 for having built a store and maintained 

 a business that is right up to the minute. 

 That is their reputation in Akron, 

 which is declared to be the fastest grow- 

 ing city in the world. J. A. C. 



GREETING NEW ARRIVALS. 



Novel window displays often bring 

 new business and create new uses for 

 flowers. A window shown by a florist 

 in Seattle, Wash., recently should be 

 productive of much business in any 

 town. To spread the idea that flowers 

 can best say anything that needs be 

 said; that flowers can say things which 

 are better unsaid when spoken, is the 

 object of our slogan, "Say It with 

 Flowers. ' ' A most opportune time to 

 "Say It with Flowers" is when a new 

 president or a new first lady of the land 

 arrives in the world. Instead of get- 

 ting in wrong by saying that the new- 

 comer looks like papa, when the fond 

 parents think that the important person 

 looks like mamma, the easiest way to 

 say something and not "put your foot 

 into it" is to "Say It with Flowers." 



This was the message of the Seattle 

 window. In the front of the window 

 was a flat basin in which pansies and 

 other bright-colored flowers were float- 

 ing. Standing in this pool of water 

 was a stuffed stork. White ribbons 

 ran back to a life-sized doll seated in a 

 !)aby buggy and a card suggested the 

 advisability of greeting the new-born 

 baby with flowers. Cradles made up in 



CATER TO MORE PEOPLE. 



A little 16-page booklet, called "Flo- 

 rists' Problems," is issued by Wild 

 Bros. Nursery Co., Sarcoxie, Mo., the 

 third number bearing date of May, 1920. 

 There are a number of sound sugges- 

 tions in its pages. One of the short ar- 

 ticles is headed, "A Lesson from the 

 Movies." It reads: 



"The Universal Film Manufacturing 

 Co.. in one of its advertisements in 

 Printers' Ink, gives this advice: 'You 

 cannot continue to exist by catering to 

 one class. Consider the number of peo- 

 ple who do not go to the motion picture 

 theaters because they do not see there 

 what they want to see. A varied pro- 

 gram will attract more patronage.' 



"This applies as well to the florists' 

 business. If we would keep our old 

 customers buying regularly, we must 

 give them variety. Others who have not 

 been buying will be attracted by an un- 

 usual display and, once you have made 

 the first sale, you have an opportunity 

 to make them regular buyers. A point 

 not often considered by the florist is the 

 effect of variety in attracting the atten- 

 tion of those who receive the gift. One 

 of our customers today told us of a gift 

 of peonies last Mothers ' day and of how 

 they were commented on more than all 

 the other flowers, because they afforded 

 variety. 



"Equally important is variety of 

 prices. A few florists may successfully 

 cater only to the high-priced trade. But 

 the average florist cannot afford to so 

 limit his sales. He must be prepared to 

 fit all pocketbooks in his trade territory. 

 Medium price should not mean low qual- 

 ity. A number of flowers, first-class of 

 their kind, can be used for the medium- 

 priced trade. The important point is 

 to give them good value and make as 

 many flower buyers as possible, not 

 alone for present business, but to build 

 up for the future." 



BUSINESS IN THE BERKSHIRES. 



Tliough Pittsfield, Mass., is a city of 

 over 40,000, it still has some of the de- 

 lightful characteristics of a New Eng- 

 land town, with its one main street. 

 North street, its many good-looking, 

 comfortable homes, its growing indus- 

 trial life and its surrounding Berk- 

 shire hills. The atmosphere is one likely 

 to develop a flower-loving spirit. And 

 Pittsfield people, both the blue-blooded 

 First Families and the red-blooded 

 workers in the woolen mills and the 

 General Electric Co. works, are of the 

 kind to buy flowers. They have the 

 money and they want the flowers. 



So it is small wonder that F. I. Drake 

 & Co. have had to open a larger store 

 to take care of increasing business. 



