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Decembeii 10, 1908. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



17 



i 



THE RETAIL 



FLORIST.... 



CHRISTMAS PREPARATIONS. 



Good Stock Required. 



Christmas is one of the two most im- 

 portant days of the year with the retail 

 florists. Easter is the only other date on 

 the floral calendar which can compare 

 with December 25 in the volume of busi- 

 ness it brings to the florist. But there 

 is one marked difference between Christ- 

 mas and Easter. For the latter event 

 purchases are nearly always for the cus- 

 tomer's own use, while at Christmas the 

 purchases are almost invariably intended 

 as gifts. The result is that Christmas 

 calls for only the best class of stock and 

 the sales average of larger value. A per- 

 son who will spend $1 for a plant for 

 his own use will invest $2 when the pur- 

 chase is intended as a gift. And he will 

 wax exceeding wroth if you send out 

 poor stock on his order. 



Last Christmas a Record-breaker. 



It is worth while remembering that 

 Christmas of 1907 was a record-breaker 

 for florists. A fortnight before the holi- 

 day the majority of florists were on the 

 anxious seat. The financial stringency of 

 the last year was then at its height and 

 there was widespread fear that the holi- 

 day business would fail to cleaA out the 

 stocks provided. This fe^r was realized 

 in certain lines of mercha^ndise, but the 

 florists seem to have profited by the gen- 

 eral business depression ; the man who 

 had been accustomed to buying expen- 



sive jewelry, furs and other articles of 

 large value, contented himself last year 

 with buying flowers. To a man who 

 usually spent $200 for his wife's Christ- 

 mas present, the most expensive article 

 in the flower store looked cheap by com- 

 parison. 



The result was that florists almost 

 everywhere did a splendid business for 

 Christmas, far better than they had ex- 

 pected, and in most cases ahead of the 

 best previous records. Practically every- 

 thing presented in an attractive form was 

 cleaned out at good prices. 



The same spirit of economy that was 

 credited with last year's good business 

 has become a habit through a year's 

 practice, and retail florists anticipate that 

 this year will bring a volume of busi- 

 ness at least equal to that of last season. 

 In many lines of merchandise Christmas 

 preparations are not on as liberal a scale 

 as last year, but florists are nearly all 

 making a greater preparation than they^ 

 did a year ago. Included in the plans 

 for the Christmas trade of most retailers 

 is a little judicious advertising. It pays 

 to tell the people what satisfactory holi- 

 day gifts may be found in the flower 

 store. 



Good Cut Stock Always Sells. 



The experience of recent years has 

 shown that there never is a surplus of 

 cut flowers for Christmas. This, of 

 course, refers to the good stock. Christ- 

 mas calls for the best. No buyer will 



send a gift of poor quality, and no re- 

 tailer will sell flowers that are not up to 

 the standard. Growers gradually are 

 finding out that of all suicidal practices, 

 that of storing up flowers for Christmas 

 is the most foolish. They gradually are 

 discovering that pickled flowers cannot 

 be sold at any price. The result is that 

 the Christmas supply is not multiplied as 

 was the case when pickling was the 

 fashion. Consequently the cut flowers 

 offered at Christmas are of better aver- 

 age quality each year and therefore com- 

 mand a better price. 



Christmas buyers will pay what is 

 asked for good flowers attractively put 

 up and delivered in style. No old shoe- 

 box does for the Christmas violets. 



Advantages of Plant Arrangements. 



Nowadays practically every retailer 

 makes a feature of plant arrangements 

 for the holiday trade. Aside from the 

 fact that he is sure he can sell all his 

 good cut stock, plants have a number of 

 advantages. In the first place, they 

 afford a pleasing variety, but it is no 

 small consideration that they can be 

 worked up earlier than the cut flowers. 

 Cut stock can only be put up an hour or 

 two before delivery, while plant arrange- 

 ments will not suffer greatly if made up 

 a day or two in advance. Many retailers 

 make it a practice to fill their stores with 

 sample arrangements, either selling the 

 samples or making up duplicates as or- 

 ders are taken. By this method the pres- 

 sure at delivery time is greatly lightened. 



Another feature of the plant arrange- 

 ment is that if by any chance business 

 does not turn out to be all that is ex- 

 pected, the stock is not a loss. Neither 

 baskets nor ribbons spoil. Blooming 

 plants nearly- always sell well between 

 Christmas and New Year's, when cut 

 stock is likely to be scarce. Also, the 

 bloom on a good many plants may be cut 

 and worked up in funeral designs and 

 realize a good price. 



Two Low Priced Plant Arrangements that were Good Sellers Last Christmas. 



