SlOl'TKMBI'JIi 11.', 1007. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review, 



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I 



I 



THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



i 



THE MASONIC EMBLEM. 



'I'lie aeoompniiying illustration is I'roin 

 a pliotofjraph of a design made by .lames 

 .1. Ciirian, at the Salem Conservatories, 

 Salem, Va. Tlie Masonic emblem is well 

 tirougbt out, espeeially by the fact that 

 ilie green predominates, the asters sland- 

 ing out and showing the characlt'i- of the 

 I'oneeption better tlian woidd have i)een 

 the case had the wire frame been niscred 

 solidlv with llower^ 



RETAIL STORE MANAGEMENT. 



I A |i:i|ior 1).V F. ('. W. Iti-<i\\ii. rii;iiin;;i'i- of 

 Tlic Uii.sciy, Torotitii, Out., ivml Ipcf.nc the 

 (■iiii:i<liMn Hiirtieiiltural Associnlioii. in <nMvon- 

 liiHi :it I.oiiilon, Out., August L"J, I'.to; I 



I'.y "np-to-datc" we must nir;iii snc- 

 I c'ssful, and the snceess of a business is 

 largely due to the individual. 



'fhe qualifications are so numcmus that 

 lor one nmn to possess tiiem all, or even 

 a majority of them, would ind('e<l be re- 

 markable. Decidedly the most important 

 ijiialificalion is executive ability, f(d 

 lii\ve<l very closely by magnetism and an 

 almost suporliuman foresight; then in 

 Nucee.ssion, to suit our opinion, tempera- 

 ment, control, artistic taste, appearance 

 .ind lluency of speech. The first dilli- 

 cidty that confronts the managing lieaii 

 of a retail establishment is the need of 

 ' oiifidence. If lie be the owner, ho must 

 li.ue the coulidence of his assistants; if 

 lie lie ;(n employee, there is the double 

 dillicully oi' gaining the confidence of 

 his eiiiployi'i' and of his fellow eni|doyces, 

 :iiid I deside to impress the t'act ot 



IIk' absolute neressity I'or confidence 



lUiong those who aie assoeiatecl together 

 lor tile siiciess of their business. Where 

 harmony is lacking, there will be little 

 siicces,s, I'or if there be discoid in a 

 business where every sense of mir ar- 

 tistic nature must be always on the alert, 

 the finer touches, the little spontaneous 

 actions, \\hich go so far to make sue 

 less ill ilie tlower business, are sure to 

 lie ab.sent. and sooner or later our e\er 

 ie;iily competitors will annex "ii! trade. 



Confidence of Patrons. 



Another gicat point is to <^:iui the re 

 -pectful confidence ot" yoiii- cii--ioiners. 

 The oidy way to do this is to he honest 

 111 your dealings, l.et theni see that yini 

 are (>ver re.ady and anxious to sei\e tluin 

 honestly and W(dl: teach tlietii do not 

 ■ i.ssert - that _\oii are more i-apahh' than 

 they (d' (dioosing v.arieties and i^i.ides of 

 ih'\\ers. and do not imagine liecaiise 

 Willi- customers are w(\'iltliy, tli.at they 

 :Me anxious io squander their wealth in 

 \our establishment. Kather you should 

 sell them a dollar's worth less than they 

 are willing to spend, than force a dollar 

 more and thus create in another flower 

 buyer the imjiression that florists are 

 i(d)l)ers. When you <lo find .a customer 

 who seems to think that he is being 

 taken advantage of, tell him, carefully 

 and well, a few of the difliculties of pro- 

 luring such flowers for him at such a 

 sea.son. This is where flucney of speech 

 is necessni V. but be careful not to over 



work it. There are some with whom it 

 wdiild be bettiM' to laugh it off. Study 

 your eiistonier, .and also remember that a 

 tine Imncli, with one, is twenty dollai's ' 

 worth, ;iiid with another, fifty or seventy 

 ti\ e rents ' w ortli. 



Study Your Customer. 



i )ou 't suggest orchids to a ciiriiation 

 jiocketbook, if you can hel[) it. 



Always ni.ake it a plesisure, tiiid ikwci 

 ;i|>pear coiiih'scending in executing any 



ited choice of varieties, and lot you dii 

 the rest. The opportunity for increas- 

 ing th(; value of your customers without 

 antagonizing them, is far greater by 

 this method tlian by any other I know. 

 Also you aie enabled to move the stock 

 that is plentiful and good, instead, as is 

 ot'ten necessary where bound by a state<l 

 kind, of giving scrubby stock of :in ofV- 

 cioji variety. There is one disadvantage 

 ill the jjreccding sttitenient, and that is, 

 that there is sometimes a temptation to 

 take advantage of your opportunity, and 

 [lalin off poor and long-kept flowers. 

 Koii't do it, if you value your trade. 



The Purchasing Department. 



I now come to the section of retail 

 nmnagement where real difliculties are 

 faced, where the greatest uncertainty pre- 

 \ tills, where, if there be any lying awake 

 at night, we can always look for the 

 cause — the purchasing department. 



1 feel that in beginning this section, 

 I am, perhaps, laying myself open to se- 



The Masonic Design. 



commission for those who ptitronize you. 

 Know what is rcvjiiired ; don't overdo it. 



(Iiice more, study your customer. 



If you aic (dever, if you have ttut in 

 gaining the confidence and respect of 

 your trade, you can soon create the kind 

 of trade that is liotli profitable to you 

 and advantageous to them. Teach your 

 trade that they may give you a sjicci 

 tied limit of money, with perhaps :i liiii 



\cie criticism, but it would be unfair of 

 nie to jiass without mentioning this most 

 \iial jiart in retail management. 



We hiivo here the gretitest opportunity 

 to show our fairness and honesty, but 

 the open question is where fairness be- 

 gins and ends. Let us consider a case in 

 point. _ Let us say a grower has started 

 to bring in some fine carnations. We 



11^'' "id.V fine e;iMiatioii>. :iiid tlie\ aii 



