68 



The Florists^ Review 



July 1, 11)20 



RETAIL STORE MANAGEMENT 



WHAT THE LEADERS IN THE TRADE ARE DOING 



PUSH TELEGRAPH DELIVERY. 



Many Obstacles Overcome. 



Telcgrapli deliveiy, like every new 

 enterprise, at first met with a great 

 many obstacles. Florists there were 

 who could see no good in such a service, 

 only flashy, catchy notoriety, which 

 would do more harm than good. The 

 practical workings of such a system were 

 not understood. However, the persis- 

 tent efforts of a few pioneers and the 

 gradual awakening of the public to the 

 groat benefits of such a system have 

 brought about a feeling of cooperation 

 among the florists such as nothing else 

 has ever been able to effect. The re- 

 cent great strides of this kind of busi- 

 ness have been demonstrated by the.rec- 

 ords of florists who have sent over 500 

 orders by telegraph in a single day and 

 of florists who have thousands of orders 

 throughout the year. These records, 

 combined with the injection of young 

 blood into the business, have resulted in 

 the conversion of many of the skeptics, 

 pessimists and back numbers. But, as 

 yet, far too few florists are pushing tele- 

 graph delivery; far too few people com- 

 prehend the workings of the system. 

 What is more, many of the pushers are 

 too lukewarm in their efforts, too care- 

 less in the execution of orders and too 

 sflow in paying tlicir bills. 



Observe Principles. 



To make this a preeminently success- 

 ful proposition, the commonest of busi- 

 ness principles need only to be observed. 

 The orders should be filled as if they 

 were your own. Acknowledgment 

 should be made to the sending florist. 

 As little substitution should be prac- 

 ticed as possible. Above all, reciproca- 

 tion is essential. A complete record of 

 orders incoming and outgoing will 

 readily indicate the florists who are 

 best to deal with, and will eliminate 

 <'onfusion and misunderstanding and 

 produce the harmony and cooperation so 

 badly needed in our business. The worst 

 blow that a new effort of this sort can 

 receive is to find the recipient complain- 

 ing of the poor quality of material sent 

 out. 



But how can this business be built uji? 

 Jt may be done largely through adver- 

 tising and through education of the pub- 

 lic in many ways. No one method is 

 })erfect and no two concerns will follow 

 in the same beaten track. A few illus- 

 trations as to how a campaign may be 

 conducted might be useful, though nat- 

 urally many variations of these methods 

 will suggest themselves in different lo- 

 calities. 



Getting the Business. 



If situated in a prominent location, 

 window displays featuring telegraph de- 

 livery are probably the greatest sPngle 

 asset. The effectiveness of the window 

 depends upon its simplicity and its clear 

 4'xposition of the objects it is intended to 

 jiortray. As an instance of this, a coun- 



try road was staged in a window with 

 the proper effects in scenery, including 

 houses nestling in the hills, trees, fences 

 and the like, the main feature being, 

 however, a representation of a florist's 

 shop with telegraph wires running from 

 the roof to poles along the road, the 

 wires terminating upon numerous points 

 of a globe. A suitable inscription upon a 

 placard indicated the purpose of the 

 window. A surprising number of peo- 

 ple showed inclination either to try the 

 method or at least to be shown its mi- 

 nute workings. 



Another window serving the same 

 purpose was staged for Mothers' day, 

 showing a large book with a picture of 

 a mother on the one side and on the 

 other a brief explanation of Mothers' 



The Editor is pleased wlien 

 a Reader presents his ideas 

 on any subject treated in 



As experience is the best 

 teacher, so do we learn 

 fastest by an exchange of 

 experiences. Many valuable 

 points are brought out by 

 discussion. 



Good penmanship, spelling and 

 grammar, though desirable, are not 

 necessary. Write as you would talk 

 when doing your best. 



WE SHALL BE CLAD 

 TO HEAR FROM YOU 



day and the workings of telegraph de- 

 livery. It proved quite effective. The 

 Review on several occasions has indi- 

 cated other window displays of a simi- 

 lar nature. 



Advertisements in the motion picture 

 theaters, either in the form of animated 

 films or of slides, present a suitable me- 

 dium of bringing before the public the 

 great idea. Such advertisements are 

 particularly valuable, as theatergoers 

 are bound to read what is on the screen 

 and, if nothing else, interest and curi- 

 osity are created. Both the films and 

 slides should contain as little reading 

 matter as possible and yet be perfectly 

 clear. 



On Special Occasions. 



The installation of a telegraph opera- 

 tor for special occasions has answered 

 its purpose well. It has been tried by 

 some florists and has always resulted in 

 an increased volume of business. The 

 psychological effect of sending a tele- 

 gram direct without any intervening 

 agencies is a great asset in inducing 

 people to buy. Folders, newspaper ad- 

 vertising and street car advertising are 



all means that may be readily employed 

 in boosting the business. 



On the whole, it might be said that 

 the expense and effort required to do a 

 good telegraph business are so small as 

 to recommend the plan strongly to any 

 progressive florist, regardless of his lo- 

 cation or the size of his town. The un- 

 doubted increase in the flower business 

 may be partly laid to this ingenious 

 method. It has influenced the sending 

 of flowers on occasions when gifts of 

 other natures were the rule. But it is 

 only through thorough reliability of one 

 florist upon another, honest cooperation 

 and proper recognition of business and 

 ethical principles involved that success 

 may be achieved in the long run. 



Alex Lurie. 



THAT LITTLE BLUE PORCELAIN. 



Do florists comprehend the value of 

 pottery and other ware as side lines in 

 their store? Not as accessories or 

 something to pick up a few odd pennies' 

 profit, but as a genuine aid to their 

 flower sales. 



"Why don't you carry any recep- 

 tacles for flowers in your store?" asked 

 a lady of the proprietor of a flower 

 store the other day. "I'm sure they'd 

 help your sales. I know they would 

 from my own case. 



"A friend sent me a lovely gift of 

 flowers in a little blue porcelain piece, 

 which I prized a great deal. Indeed, I 

 just had to keep flowers in it all the 

 time, though I never before had bought 

 flowers at all frequently. Now I've 

 broken it and not wanting to hunt up 

 an art shop, I naturally came in here. 

 I'm so disappointed." 



Just one case? There would be many 

 more like her if florists would use this 

 means of creating the custom of keep- 

 ing flowers in the home. The lines are 

 quite rich in both novelties and staple 

 styles. A small selection invariably 

 leads to the florist's increasing the size 

 of his stock after he sees the response 

 from his patrons. 



THE SHOP ON THE AVENUE. 



The difference between the dress- 

 maker on the side street and the mo- 

 diste 's shop on the avenue is the dif- 

 ference between merchandise plus labor 

 and merchandise plus art. The former 

 takes a few yards of material and makes 

 a dress; the latter takes the same few 

 yards of material and the result is what 

 is called a creation. The dressmaker 

 gets $10 for her work; the modiste re- 

 ceives $100. 



There is a lesson in that difference 

 for florists, if they have not barkened 

 to it already. Between the mere mer- 

 chandiser of flowers, not far above the 

 street peddler, and the skillful creator 

 of floral effects is a world of difference. 

 The retail florist who would advance in 

 his trade can best do so by giving 

 thought to the artistic, the creative part 

 of his business. He need not sell greater 



