The Florists^ Review 



Mabch 2. 1922 



SPECIAL SALES 



Movnra the sxtsflus. 



Are Special Sales. Desirable? 



As spring comes on the perennial 

 question arises, how to move the surplus 

 that too frequently gluts the cut flower 

 market at this season of the year. The 

 problem was ably discussed at Oolum- 

 bus, O., recently when the growers met 

 there, some notably keen minds partici- 

 pating. 



J. F. Ammann brought out his belief 

 with an illustration. "Last week my 

 wife and I drove down to St. XjouIs to 

 get her a coat. She needed one and our 

 purpose was to purchase one. After she 

 got the coat, I bought three shirts. I 

 did not need them, had plenty of shirts 

 at home, but it was a special sale. They 

 were $1.50, were bargains and I bought 

 them. Before I left town I bought a 

 pair of shoes. I had shoes, but these 

 were on sale and a bargain. 



"If we think that we cannot become 

 merchandisers of our goods the same as 

 the shirt or the shoe merchant, we are 

 badly mistaken. It is simply a case of 

 merchandising. Tou have to advertise 

 to sell your goods. When you advertise, 

 you are not only telling the people, you 

 are telling your competitors you are 

 open and aboveboard and fair. You 

 are not cutting prices behind the other 

 fellow's back, but you are doing it in 

 the open. You and he should cooperate. 

 Advertise a sale of your surplus prod- 

 ucts at a little lower margin, but you 

 do not need to sell them below the cost 

 of production. You sheuld put on spe- 

 cial sales when stock is plentiful. 



A Notable Instance. 



"In St. Louis we have had some great 

 successes. One of the finest retail 

 houses put on a special sale of roses 

 at 25 cents a dozen. They cleaned up 

 the market and created a stable market 

 for the grower within two days. Before 

 that there was a glut of roses. Juat 

 after that sale was over, you could go 

 right into that same store and you would 

 pay $3 to $8 a dozen. That retailer sold 

 them at a profit. Roses were selling on 

 the market at $10 a thousand; they were 

 simply a drug on the market. 



"There was no such thing as having 

 good quality stock going to waste. Good 

 quality stock should not go to waste. 

 Give the people the benefit of that. 

 Move the stock and get something for 

 the grower. The grower shipping to the 

 wholesale market often sells below the 

 cost of production. From July to De- 

 cember 1 I cut from 25,000 rose plants 

 and sold below the cost of production. 

 I sold below the cost of production every 

 month from July to November. 



"I believe in special sales and I be- 

 lieve in special prices. It simply means 

 that you are going to create a great 

 many flower buyers who never bought 

 flowers before." 



Two and One-half Per Cent. 



In speaking further on the subject, 

 Carl Hagenburgcr said on the same oc- 

 casion: 



"We have come to the conclusion that 

 we sell flowers to only about two and 



one-half per cent of the people. We 

 must educate more people to buy flow- 

 ers and to love flowers. That can only 

 be done by putting them within the 

 means of more people. The young man 

 just married wants a bouquet of flow- 

 ers for his table now and then. He is 

 not able to pay as mnch as he will be 

 ten or fifteen years hence, when he has 

 a better job. But if we start him buy- 

 ing 50 cents to $1 worth, we will cer- 

 tainly educate that man to spend $5 

 or $10 when he can afford it. But you 

 have to educate him while he can spend 

 but little. I think it is wise policy, 

 on the part of retailer, wholesaler and 

 grower, to dispose of surpluses at a low 

 price — ^which the grower, in fact, must 

 do. The grower has to sell at a low 

 price; it is a matter of choice with the 

 retailer — he can keep his price up and 

 sell ten dozen or lower his price and 

 sell fifty dozen." 



NEW YORK TO KANSAS CITY. 



The itinerary submitted by the Lacka- 

 wanna railroad for the party from New 

 York city to the 8. A. F. convention, 

 at Kansas City next August, has been 

 adopted by the transportation commit- 

 tee of the New York Florists' Club. 



The party — which is fully hoped to be 

 100 strong — will leave New York Sun- 

 day, August 13, for Chicago, where a 



stopover will be made to take in the 

 famous Lake Shore Drive and other prln- 

 cipal points of interest, returning to the 

 Hotel La Salle for dinner. Departure 

 will be made from Chicago that evening 

 and Kansas City reached on the morning 

 of Tuesday, August 15. While in Kan* 

 sas City during the S. A. F. convention, 

 August 15 to 18, hotel accommodation 

 and three meals a day will be provided. 

 On the afternoon of August 18 the partj 

 will leave Kansas City, arriving in St. 

 Paul Saturday morning, where points of 

 interest in the Twin Cities will be 

 viewed, leaving St. Paul in the after* 

 noon and arriving at Duluth in the eve- 

 ning. 



The Great Lakes steamer trip will 

 commence Saturday night and continue 

 through to Wednesday morning. This 

 sail through the lakes provides the most 

 enjoyable feature of the trip and, un- 

 doubtedly, will prove the greatest in- 

 centive to many. Arriving at Buffalo 

 Wednesday, August 23, special cars will 

 be waiting to tSs.e the party to Niagara 

 Falls, where lunch will be provided at 

 the Hotel Imperial. A tour over the 

 Oreat Gorge route will be made in the 

 afternoon, returning to hotel for dinner. 

 At 7 p. m. the party will start for home, 

 arriving in New York Thursday morning 

 at 8 o'clock. Breakfast will be provided 

 for in the Hoboken Terminal. 



The cost, covering all transportation, 

 lower berths on Pullmans and outside 

 staterooms on boat, also three meals per 

 day, will be $220. 



All those intending to go should notify 

 Paul Bigo, in care of the Henshaw flo- 

 ral Co., 35 West Eighteenth street, New 

 York. The earlier the reservation, the 

 choicer the accommodation. 



"He has my sympathy," observed 

 Smith T. Bradley, New Haven, Conn., 

 referring to the editorial in The Re- 

 view regarding the grower with benches 

 of stock for sale, but no purchasers. 

 "The great trouble," continued Mr. 

 Bradley, "lies in the fact that, owing 

 to the almost prohibitive express 

 charges, one cannot purchase from a 

 distance and come out even. This is a 

 most important matter for the national 

 society to handle. As it is, the shipping 

 of rooted cuttings by parcel post is a 

 success, judging from our experience." 

 A satisfactory season is the report from 

 the Bradley establishment. 



• • • • 



"If everyone says so, it must be so; 

 locally, anyhow," commented Charles 

 Munro, of the Munro Flower Shop, New 

 Haven, Conn., referring to the excel- 

 lent business recorded vy his competi- 

 tors. "We are making good use of the 

 big supply from our Westerly range. 

 The quality is fine." 



• • • • 



John Champion, New Haven, Conn., 

 was just getting over an attack of in- 

 fluenza, yet he was optimistic. "Why 

 not!" said he. "Are we not in better 

 shape than any other business we can 



think oft" 



• • • • 



Stephen Moore, New Haven, Conn., 

 lays the excellent condition of trade to 



the big variety of stock in the market. 

 The greater the choice the more attrac- 

 tive it appears to the public, with a 

 greater range of price. 



• • • • 



Joseph J. Sokol, located at one of the 

 largest cemeteries in New Haven, is 

 sharing in the prosperity of his down- 

 town confreres, minus store expense^ 



• • • • 



William Patterson, West Haven, 

 Conn., has an experience similar to many 

 who conduct business at the greenhouse; 

 namely, larger sales of blooming plants 

 than of cut flowers, owing usually to 

 the more attractive appearance amid 

 natural suiioundings. 



• • • • 



The eve of Washington's birthday 

 anniversary found Otto Ernst, of Gedul- 

 dig's Greenhouses, Norwich, Conn., and 

 hi3 good wife congratulating themselves, 

 following the completion of 100 floral 

 pieces for three large funerals, in which 

 in one instance only there were no du- 

 plicates or formal designs. Many hand- 

 some sprays and floral baskets were 

 noted, made possible by the great va- 

 riety of stock now in bloom. A good 

 general season's run of business is re- 

 corded. 



• • • • 



"That's good business," observed 

 Henry D. Crosby, of Franklin & Cros- 

 by, Inc., Danielson, Conn., referring to 



