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The Florists' Review 



At'QUST 2U, 1012. 



itable to most florists if they would 

 wait, and use up the odds and ends in 

 such cheap work as we all get orders 

 for occasionally. Or, if the flowers 

 will not keep until cheap work comes 

 in, better put them in the waste barrel. 

 James L. Kenney. 



THE LYBE OE HAEP. 



The accompanying illustration shows 

 a design made by Fred W. C. Brown, of 

 the S. A. Anderapn establishment at 

 Buffalo. It is the lyre; most people 

 would call it a harp, though the harp 

 design is entirely different in form. 

 However, the sentiment and principles 

 of construction are the same. The lyre 

 is better than the harp, because the pro- 

 portions are better. The width of the 

 harp is greater at the top than at the 

 bottom, and it makes a rather awkward 

 piece to handle, with big base, narrow 

 bottom and wide top. A harp must 

 necessarily be a large design. 



In this lyre the instrument was made 

 solidly of white carnations. The trim- 

 ming was of selected cattleyas, with 

 chrysanthemums for the base. 



UNDEETAKERS' COMMISSIONS. 



Are They Reasonable? 



A recent issue of The Review con- 

 tained an inquiry, received from a sub- 

 scriber, in regard to the rates of com- 

 mission usually paid by florists to un- 

 dertakers. The subscriber expressed his 



matter. Should not tlie percentage allowed be 

 one generally used tliroughout the country ? 



S. & S. 



Tliinks the Bate Excessive. 



It seems to me that undertakers ex- 

 pect a high percentage because the 

 florists are willing to give it. I know 

 of florists in New England who offer 

 twenty-five per cent and even thirty- 

 three and one-third per cent on all or- 

 ders, and, if an order amounts to $10 

 or over, telephone, telegraph and ex- 

 press charges are paid in addition. Now, 

 I do not consider such business as that 

 to be any credit to any florist. The 

 rates I have just mentioned were 

 quoted to me by a prominent under- 

 taker, who wished to give me his or- 

 ders, as I was nearer to him than Bos- 

 ton and shipments could reach him 

 more quickly, but I absolutely refused 

 to do this, for I do not believe such 

 rates should be allowed to any under- 

 taker. 



I think fifteen per cent should be a 

 reasonable consideration to give any 

 undertaker, for he only takes the order 

 and delivers it, with no expense to 

 him. When the florist has to give away 

 such high commissions, the undertaker 

 gets the cream and the florist the 

 skimmed milk, and I believe the florist 

 is entitled to his own profits. 



If the florist is giving the customers 

 what they are paying for, he cannot 

 get his living during these times of 

 high prices and give away such high 

 percentages. Either the customer must 



A Lyre of White Caroatioas, Mums and Cattleyas. 



doubts as to the reasonableness of the 

 twenty per cent rate and asked for 

 the opinions of other readers on the 

 subject. The inquiry is here reprinted, 

 followed by two replies: 



Is It a general custom among the florists of 

 the United States to allow undertakers twenty 

 per cent discount on orders for funeral flowers? 

 It seems as though this percentage is more than 

 it ought to be, when we take into consideration 

 the small effort put forth by the undertaker. 

 Our wholesale men ask fifteen per cent and run 

 a large part of their business on that percentage. 

 It means plenty of hard work for them. We 

 should like the opinion of several florists in thU 



have a tremendous imagination as to 

 the good quality of what he receives 

 for his money, or the florist must come 

 far short of his proper income. 



I hope many of the readers of The 

 Review will carefully consider this 

 question and that a profitable discussion 

 may be brought out, so that ultimately 

 a universal rate of commission for un- 

 dertakers may be established among 

 the florists of this country. 



G. J. Benedict, 



The Other Side of the Subject. 



Apropos the subject of "UndertalJ 

 ers' Commissions," as introduced \j> 

 8. & S. in The Review of July 25, ^o 

 writer is of the opinion that the r'Jite 

 of twenty per cent is a result of coin 

 petition among the retail florists, and 

 is so nearly in universal use now that 

 a general change downward could only 

 be effected by a close agreement 

 among all the florists, in a given terri 

 tory ©r district. The possibility or 

 probability of such an agreement, or its 

 observance by all the parties thereto, 

 is so .reniote that it would hardly en- 

 courage one to take the trouble to work 

 it up. 



It is just another of those conditions 

 in business that we have to meet as 

 they are, and not as we should like 

 them to be or even as they ought to be. 



However, there are some relieving 

 features in the case. The bulk of the 

 business from the undertakers is fu- 

 neral work, and the profit on this class 

 of work will stand twenty per cent 

 better than the business resulting from 

 a general line of petty sales, which 

 would largely include loose flowers in 

 dozen counts, with green, etc., and at 

 an average price per item much less 

 than on a list of funeral items. 



Another point is that it is often 

 "emergency business," inasmuch as, if 

 the undertaker did not know where ho 

 could be reasonably certain that flow- 

 ers could be had, and was not able to 

 give information as to prices, suitable 

 designs, etc., the bereaved family or 

 friends would pass up the matter as 

 out of the question, owing to lack of 

 time to get proper information as to 

 where and what to buy.* This applies 

 especially to communities in territory 

 tributary to the city or town in which 

 the florist is located. 



Another point is that the florist has 

 an opportunity to pass upon the credit 

 standing of the undertaker, and this 

 will cover all the deals coming through 

 him, as he is charged directly with the 

 goods and is responsible for the pay- 

 ment. He, being on the ground, can 

 make his own arrangements with the 

 customer, and the florist is relieved from 

 the bother of a number of accounts 

 that are thus covered by one account 

 with the undertaker. 



Besides, we find that our business 

 with the undertakers is a source of new 

 customers, who buy from us direct, 

 having first known of us and our work 

 through orders filled for the local un- 

 dertaker. When they want flowers for 

 a party, wedding or other social func- 

 tion they often wish to make some pre- 

 liminary inquiry and make it direct 

 to the florist. 



All the foregoing points apply mainly 

 to out-of-town business. Locally, the 

 business done with the undertaker does 

 not show the same arguments so strong- 

 ly; nor does he, as a rule, turn in so 

 large a proportion of business, as the 

 local buyers are usually at least as well 

 informed about your business, name 

 and location as they are about that of 

 the undertaker. However, the local 

 undertaker is the source of most of the 

 orders for grave decorations, handling 

 of flowers at important church and res- 

 idence funerals, etc., all of which helps 

 in the business, especially from an ad- 

 vertising standpoint. 



In the matter of looking after the 

 flowers at a funeral, and taking care of 

 their transportation from residence to 



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