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JoNB 18, 1908. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



RETAILER AND 



WHOLESALER 



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F. H. Holton, Mawaokee. 



Regarding the able paper by Arthur 

 A. Niessen, in the Review of June 4, I 

 would say that Mr. Niessen certainly 

 strikes the right chord. The trouble 

 seems to be that almost every retailer 

 feels that the commission man is a nec- 

 essary evil, one who should be opposed 

 whenever and wherever possible. This 

 is certainly an incorrect idea, for it is 

 surely more of a convenience to the re- 

 tailer than to the grower to have a com- 

 mission house, as it enables the retailer 

 to supply his wants from one central 

 point instead of being obliged to go to 

 half a dozen different greenhouses. 



I agree with Mr. Niessen in reference 

 to the "margin between prices," for I 

 am sure that the profits which the re- 

 tailer derives from his sales are out of 

 all proportion and are not possible in 

 any other line of trade. There ^as a 

 time when a retailer was entitled to a 

 larger-profit, owing to the fact that he 

 cai^ied a stock of flowers on hand, but 

 at the present time hardly any large re- 

 tailer carries more than samples, since 

 he depends on the commission man for 

 the regular supply of his needs. In this 

 way the retailer takes but small chances 

 and his loss is small. I have seen many 

 instances when carnations were sold at 

 retail at $1 per dozen, while the retailer 

 paid but $2 per hundred. Surely such 

 a profit is unreasonable. Were the same 

 retailer to sell his carnations at 50 cents 

 per dozen, he would create a demand and 

 in this way be able to dispose of more 

 stock, helping to clean out the market 

 and keep the stock from the street men. 



Flowers should be ^old on a closer mar- 

 gin -of profit and at prices that are rea- 

 sonable as compared with the wholesale 

 quotations. I think that the public will 

 soon realize that, owing to weather con- 

 ditions, the supply of flowers and also 

 the prices will vary, and will be willing 

 to pay a reasonable profit to the retailer, 

 but the retailer's prices ought to fluctu- 

 ate in the same manner that the whole- 

 sale prices do. Vegetabjes ^nd fruits 

 are sold that way; why not flowers! 



Why not publish" the wholesale prices 

 on flowers in the daily papers, just as 

 the prices on wheat, corn, fruits, etc., 

 are published, thus giving the public a 

 chance to^see at what price flowers are 

 sold at wholesale? Jhis, I think, would 

 soon lead to a reduction in the retail 

 price of flowers. This reduction would 

 cause no loss to the retailers, as with 

 reasonable prices the demand would be- 

 come much larger. 



Many retailers complain that the cost 

 of handling flowers is larger because 

 boxes cost so much. I would suggest 

 that flowers be sold at the lowest pos- 

 sible price and then, if the customer 

 wants them delivered or put in a box, 

 that this be charged to additional cost, 

 as is done in many other lines of trade. 



S. A. Anderson, BaHalo. 



I believe that the retailer is not prone 



to find fault with the manner in which 

 the commission merchant disposes of his 

 surplus stock. The whole argument is 

 based on a misunderstanding between 

 the retailer on the one hand and the 

 commission man aifd the grower on the 

 other. 



Mr. Niessen asks the question, "Are 

 you doing anything to relieve the mar- 

 ket of the overproduction?" I believe 

 each retailer is doing his utmost to stim- 

 ulate trade. This he is bound to do, for 

 his self-preservation. I disagree with 

 Mr. Niessen when he says, "The thought 

 how they could handle this stock, and 

 in some way increase sales, never enters 



The Kditor Is pleased 

 vehen a Reader 

 presents lils Ideas 

 on any subject treated In 



e\ws: 



As experience Is the best 

 teacher, so do we 

 leam fastest by aa 

 exotaanee of experiences. 

 Many valuable points 

 are broucht out 

 by discussion. 



Good pentnanehlp, spelllngr and grram- 

 mar, though desirable, are not neces- 

 sary. Write as you would talk when 

 doing your best. 



WX SHALL. BE GLAD 

 TO HEAR FROM TOU. 



the minds of the majority of them." 

 The retailer has to be alive and thought- 

 ful and he devises many ways in which 

 to keep his stock moving. One of the 

 causes of the glut is the unwillingness 

 of the public to purchase, and it is up to 

 the retailer to devise ways and means 

 of making his stock and prices attrac- 

 tive to the trade. 



Mr. Niessen also says that the feeling 

 between the commission man and the 

 retailer is often antagonistic. I agree 

 with him, but this is not any more so 

 than in any other business. On one side 

 we have the buyer, who endeavors to 

 buy his goods as cheaply as he can, and 

 on the other we have the seller, who gets 

 as much as he can for his stock. Both 

 are right and it is the one point wherein 

 brains and courage will prove to be the 

 winner. The point Mr. Niessen makes 

 in regard to the commission men being 

 called pirates, or something worse, by 

 some retailers, is exceptional and prob- 

 ably is a deserved compliment. 



Another point made by Mr. Niessen, 

 in regard to mignonette, is of a retailer 

 getting $3 per dozen for it and the 

 grower only receiving $6 per hundred, 

 and he wonders why. I will tell him. 

 The retailer most likely bought 100 

 sprays of mignonette anu by his utmost 

 endeavors only sold two dozen of it, and 

 the rest of it went out in the retailer's 

 profit barrel. It is for the retailer to 

 use his brains as to whether it is better > 

 to buy twenty-five sprays of mignonette 

 at 6 cents, selling all at $1.50 per dozen, 

 or to buy fifty or 100 sprays, knowing 

 his trade will use but twenty-five, and , 

 selling it at $3 per dozen. 



The commission men are complaining 

 of not getting rid of surplus stock. They 

 a,re only doing now what most retailers 

 are doing all - the time. 



It is only a very small number of 

 stores that do not give as much atten- 

 tion to the so-called "25-cent customer" 

 as to those who purchase in larger 

 amounts. 



It is impossible to have a continuous 

 bargain sale, even if you do vary the 

 inducements. I have found that if one 

 week you sell carnations at 25 cents, ad- 

 vertising them as a special bargain, the 

 following week the same prices, the same j 

 advertising and the same energy dis- 

 played will not move one-half as much 

 stock as at the previous sale. However, 

 I am a firm believer in bargains, and 

 have always endeavored to give the 

 public anything that would benefit the 

 grower and commission man, and at the 

 same time further my own interests. 



Philip Brdtmeyer, Detroit. 



In reference to Mr. Niessen 's state- 

 ment in regard to the margin of profit 

 for the retailer, I want to reply. I have 

 figured all kinds of ways and have come 

 to the conclusion that the margin for 

 the retailer must be twice that' of the 

 grower, if he is to succeed; conditions 

 should govern, of course. 



Being a retailer and grower, keeping a 

 detailed account of goods that change 

 hands, I know the average florist who 

 keeps up an attractive display has many 

 losses which must necessarily be charged 

 to the selling price. On the other hand, 

 every flower the grower furnishes to the 

 retailer direct is charged for, whether 

 sold by the retailer or not. In order that 

 the retailer may come out with a profit 

 he must be on the lookout all the time: 

 if business is brisk he is making money, 

 and as soon as it slacks up, invariably 

 he goes behind. It is an easy matter to 

 prove who is on top. Name the success- 

 ful retailers and growers and tell me 

 which is in the lead. In my twenty-five 

 or more years of experience directly in 

 the store end of the business I am satis- 

 fied that the grower, if a successful 

 grower, as he should be, has the best 

 end of the business. He has no charges 

 to carry from one year to the other, he 

 has no advertising, expensive ^elivery, 

 fancy boxes and the many items of ex- 

 pense that show not on the surface but 

 are bound to creep in and must come 

 from the profits. 



I do not believe the first-class stores 

 can profit by making weekly bargain 

 sales in times of glut. This has often 

 been tried and I am of the opinion that 

 the people get accustomed to the cheap 

 sales and are rather disappointed if they 

 are not continued; this from personal 

 experience. I am rather inclined to be- 

 lieve in the department store or faker 

 doing a part of this business, as also the 

 smaller stores that are in localities where 



