January 9, 1913. 



The Florists^ Review 



15 



Cbristmas in the Store o the Lone Star Floral G>., Dallas, Texas. 



are able to replenish our stock with 

 fresh goods from hour to hour. Through 

 them we are able to buy the cream of 

 the stock of a number of growers, as 

 well as the cheaper grades if we want 

 them. Right here I might add that we, 

 as retailers, can greatly facilitate this 

 service by thinking of all we want to 

 order before we hang up the receiver, 

 rather than ordering in sections, thus 

 keeping the delivery boy on the run 

 when one delivery might answer the 

 purpose. 



Now, while we are getting this excel- 

 lent service, it is necessary for us to 

 keep up the proper balance. By that I 

 mean to support and encourage the 

 growers who sell their goods direct. 

 This always has a wholesome effect on 

 the commission man and makes him 

 behave. We do not want any flower 

 trust. We do want cooperation. 



In my previous remarks I spoke of 

 direct shipment from the grower to 

 the retailer. Do not misunderstand me. 

 I do not recommend for one minute 

 the elimination of the commission man, 

 nor do I want to belittle his necessary 

 service. 1 simply want to make a plea 

 for a change in the shipment; that the 

 order shall go through the hands of the 

 commission man as of old but the ship- 

 ment go direct, thus eliminating the sec- 

 ond handling. 



The reason this has never been en- 

 couraged b}' the commission man has 

 been because he has always seemed so 

 envious of his consignor; there always 

 seemed to be such secrecy as to where 

 the goods came from. He would never 

 think of telling you, but, after all, why 

 should there be any secrecy about itf 

 The retailer certainly does not want 

 the consignor. He could not handle 

 all of his product at any rate, and it 

 is not reasonable to supi)08e that the 

 grower, so long as he is treated right, 

 will go back on the commission man 

 who handles his goods. 



Another clause that might be inserted 

 in this grand fraternity, and one whi[(fch.. 

 our friends, the commission men, ntight 

 well consider, would be the living up 

 to their advertisement — to be whole- 



sale men in every sense of the word 

 and not to sell flowers to any person or 

 corporation not a florist. I of course 

 am not alluding to the fakers; they 

 are one of the necessary evils, but I 

 do insist that it is absolutely wrong to 

 take orders for funerals, etc., or to de- 

 liver flowers to hotels, restaurants, clubs 

 and colleges, when these orders might 

 be turned into the retail channels. 



It is nothing new for a hotel man 

 to ask me to quote prices on a little 

 bunch of stuff and, after I have given 

 him the price, to have him turn to me 

 and !-ay, "Why, I can beat you all 

 hollow. I can buy these things as 

 cheap as you can. I can bu}' them of 

 So & So," mentioning the name of a 

 wholesaler. This is certainly an exas- 

 jierating and an embarrassing position 

 for the retailer and such conditions 

 should not exist. 



What does it profit the wholesaler? 

 These people want the goods and they 

 would buy them of us at a retail profit, 

 and we, in turn, would be giving the 

 wholesaler the price asked. 



There is no doubt in my mind that 

 once the get-together plan gets in action 

 it will be only a short time when all 

 these abuses will be done away with. 

 All we want to do is to understand 

 each other better. We are all friends 

 and we are each one of us dependent 

 on the other. 



And Then the Betailer. 



Now as to the retailer: he is' on the 

 firing line. It is he who is directly or 

 indirectly responsible for public opin- 

 ion on the flower trade. 



First of all, have your goods marked 

 in plain figures, and marked by the 

 buyer, so that every customer gets a 

 square deal, instead of pricing them 

 at what you think the customers will 

 stand for. Gone forever are the days, 

 when the salesman would quote prices 

 in a subdued tone, for fear the customer 

 at his elbow was being offered the same 

 goods a dollar or so cheaper. 



Our next consideration is efficiency. 

 For instance, the 100-point man needs 

 no supervision. His work is always fin- 

 ished. His customers are always 

 |)leased. There is no comeback. The 

 difference between a five-dollar-a-day 

 man and a twodollar-a-day man is that 

 the latter requires $'.i worth of super- 

 vision, for which he has to pay. Re- 

 i-ponsibility gravitates to the man who 

 can shoulder it. 



Business is a composite whole. With- 

 out composite salesmanship your busi- 

 ness cannot be a success. The errand 

 boy is just as important as the sales- 

 man, and the salesman is of little use if 

 the bookkeeper does not keep track of 

 the sales. 



Right here I want to illustrate how 

 this law of composite salesmanship 

 works out. It was Christmas day, all 

 our work was finished. The phone bell 

 rang; our chauffeur was on the wire, 

 car broken down with thirty packages 

 yet to deliver. We immediately dis- 

 patched five men and boys to get out 

 the packages. Kach was given six to 



First Fl or of the Ratcliffe & Tanatr St re at Chiiklms« 



