10 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



KEBUUAKV 'S^, 1912. 



continue on the present course, one or 

 the other of two opinions is held by 

 most of the wholesalers affected. Some 

 believe that the reduction of retail 

 jprices must in the end work a perma- 

 nent reduction in wholesale prices and 

 ibence in returns to the growers. Others 

 assert, with seeming confidence and the 

 ■weight of logic, that the result will be 

 «a increase in the consumption of flow- 

 "Crs that will minimize gluts and in the 

 «end work out an increase in the aver- 

 age value of a season's cut. 



The Retailer's Views. 



Among the retailers scarcely any two 

 hold similar views as to the ultimate 

 effect of the present Fleischman policy. 

 The first impression is that a high class 

 store that quotes such prices must have 

 some special advantage aside from 

 large buying power, but for a large 

 class who never have been able to get 

 fancy prices, the rapidly recurring wide- 

 ly advertised bargain sales have few 

 terrors; all that they fear is the auto- 

 mobile delivery and other details of 

 high class service thus brought within 

 the reach of customers who have not 

 been accustomed to furbelows. The 

 question of boxing and delivery is im- 

 portant. It is not profitable, in a big, 

 spread-out city, to wrap and deliver one 

 35-cent sale; it would not be profitable 

 «ven if the stock cost nothing. Whether 

 it is possible to put up and deliver 100 

 «uch sales for $35 is another and un- 

 settled question. 



Many who have been giving a fairly 

 high grade of service and charging 

 good prices see in the special sale ad- 

 vertising method of retailing a menace 

 to the old-fashioned plan of steadily 



maintained prices, regardless of market 

 conditions. Usually these stores feel 

 the necessity of meeting the advertised 

 ])rices, j)rofit or no profit. For some 

 years the trend of events has been in 

 the direction of the retail prices for 

 flowers swinging with supply, as they 

 do with fresh vegetables, eggs, butter 

 and many other articles. There has 

 been sharp resistance, and doubtless at 

 least some always will resist with suc- 

 cess, but as the stores that follow the 

 other course gather buying power with 

 increasing volume of business, the prob- 

 lem becomes one that will have to be 

 seriously faced. 



Lange was the first Chicago retailer 

 to advertise widely and sell at popular 

 prices. As everyone knows, his busi- 

 ness grew rapidly. All who have 

 watched recognize that the Fleischman 

 purchases and sales are several times 

 what they were when the present cam- 

 paign was begun. It is high pressure 

 merchandising. It calls for the use of 

 money and brains. It necessitates a 

 close study of constantly changing con- 

 ditions, an alertness to take advantage 

 of opportunities as they are presented. 



Whether or not the system of retail- 

 ing now under discussion will prove the 

 permanently successful one it is much 

 too early to tell. A few years ago the 

 retailers' problems were not what they 

 are today, with production at the grow- 

 ing centers increasing faster than the 

 population and the buying power of the 

 people. 



WELL, HE INVITED OEITIOISM. 



I have read with much interest Ger- 

 trude Blair's helpful suggestions on 



design work, as published in The Be- 

 view from time to time. As I have 

 been making designs for many years 

 it would hardly be boastful to say that 

 I have necessarily acquired some skill 

 not to speak of natural taste. I think 

 that J. E. Jay's cross, offered by him 

 for criticism in The Beview of May 

 11, 1911, and referred to by Miss Blair 

 on page 11 of the issue of February 8, 

 1912, is simply beyond redemption. The 

 perpetrator of it evidently had some 

 flowers and an order to make a cross, 

 and just stuck the flowers in without 

 any other idea except to cover the 

 space. 



In the first place, the cross is too 

 small to permit the use of those cycas 

 leaves, and they are rather stiff for any 

 such work. I prefer Whitmani ferns 

 for a background, with plumosus or 

 maidenhair ferns to dress them off. I 

 always plan a design pretty thoroughly 

 in advance, and know exactly what I 

 am going to use and where I am going 

 to put it. I grow my own ferns and 

 use them in profusion as long as they 

 last, but in winter I soon exhaust my 

 ferns and then have to resort to 

 galax, etc. 



By way of contrast with the cross. 

 Miss Blair draws attention to a picture 

 of a shield made by T. A. Ivey. I 

 think the shield is beautiful in every 

 respect, except that I do not like the 

 effect of the Easter lilies. Somehow 

 the design is too conventional for the 

 entirely unconventional way in which 

 the lilies are added. They do not look 

 as if they belonged there. 



Miss Blair is evidently an artist, not 

 only in the use of flowers, but also in 

 the use of words. I can not express my 

 thoughts as well as I can feel them, or 

 I might tell how much I have been ben- 

 efited by her articles, as well as by the 

 numerous other good things in The 

 Eeview. S. M. C. 



WHO QETS TRADE PRICES? 



Could The Eeview give a short 

 write-up to assist the many advertisers 

 who issue catalogues t The informa- 

 tion we want is to know who are en- 

 titled to wholesale lists. Applications 

 come often on plain postals like this: 

 "Please send wholesale list," or 

 "Please send catalogue and price-list." 

 And again others simply sign their 

 names with the word "florist" after 

 the name. I have found that a lot of 

 such applicants are really dealers, gen- 

 erally small dealers, but careless in not 

 having printed stationery. But maaji 

 no doubt, are persons who try to get 

 dealers' prices, which they are not 

 entitled to. The florists' directory and 

 other publications give many of the 

 dealers, but not all of them by any 

 means, and in the rush of spring trade 

 it is not practical to wait for the in- 

 formation which can be gained bj 

 writing for it. Perhaps a brief write- 

 up on this subject would help the trade 

 generally. Can you not help us outt 



W. W. Wilmore. 



Table Centerpiece in an Onyx Receptacle. 



The beginners in the business usually 

 are desirable customers — they may 

 make considerable extra correspond- 

 ence until they get the swing of things, 

 and their orders may be small at the 

 start, but they are pretty sure to grow I 

 furthermore, the man, or woman, who 

 gets consideration at the start, when 

 help is most needed, is pretty sure *" 

 be one's friend for life. The unfor- 



