Need expert pricing advise

18 years ago

I'm still plugging away at this marketing thing, but may have messed up yesterday when selling some flowers to a restaurant. I got caught off guard, and probably sold my flowers too cheap. I had gone into this restaurant the day before to see if they wanted flowers for the tables. One of the waitresses said they do put flowers in vases on the table, usually 2 per vase. I thought this sounded a bit skimpy, but decided after not being able to contact the owner to get specifics, that I would take in a variety of colors and let her pick to two colors she liked. I was told they would need enough for 13 tables. (sorry this is getting lengthy) So that meant 26 flowers, but I wanted to give her a choice, so I cut 13 of 5 different kinds. No main events really, just coreopsis, crazy daisy, veronica, dianthus, and a really nice aster. All perennials, you know the story on my annuals. Anyway, she wanted all of them. I choked. Prices were swimming around in my head, but I didn't want to scare her off. I said, "How does $25.00 sound"? She said, "Very reasonible". I thought, oh crap. To justify what I did, I was thinking, well, no main events, I don't have to arrange them, just cut, condition and take them in when I do my other 2 subscriptions, all very close together. I just park and walk to each place. So, what do you experts, who don't choke, think I should get for a bucket of 65 stems? I found out she only has 11 tables, so next time there won't be quite as many flowers. The problem is, it's very hard to talk to the owner, she is so busy, and there is never a good time to discuss this. She even said that. She would rather I just bring them in, she'll pay, and the help will put them on the tables. Thanks for your help, and I'm sorry this is too long.

Cheryl

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Comments (3)

randimoore
18 years ago
Cheryl..I know we've both heard this before many times on this forum but I guess it does depend somewhat on where you live what prices you can get. I have a similar problem with pricing for the florist but I use the USDA wholesale cut flower market pricing guide that's on line and updated a couple times a week as a guage for my prices. For me here in an upscale area of Vermont I use the Boston prices as my yardstick. I know you live up in beautiful NS but there must be a similar version in Canada or use the US one for at least a ballpark price. I'm thinking about .50 per stem on most of the things you mentioned..Perhaps also you could write up a little bill with the flowers itemized per stem so the owner could see the breakdown. The other great thing is that if she continues to buy from you it'll become habit and I'm sure she won't even blink at whatever you charge. Probably, since it's a restaurant the 'bouquets' will be very small but maybe down the pike she'll want a couple of display bouquets, (big monsters)...Perhaps you could ask if that might be something she'd be willing to go for that you'd change out weekly or bi-weekly for her where you could charge for main event flowers and leave your business card..I know alot of inns and restaurants around here do just that..
All that being said time for me to load up the buckets,do up a bill, and slog off to the florist. Good luck, we're all rooting for you!
Randi
Fundybayfarm
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks Randi. That was more what I had in mind too, .50 per stem. I was by there today, and peeked in to see how the flowers looked, and there were only 2 flowers in the vases!! I called her back after the lunch rush, and asked if the flowers were ok. She is SO busy, that she never got any further than 2 flowers, even though she had enough to put 6 per vase. So, I'm thinking that next time I deliver, I'll ask if she would like to pay another 15.00 and let me do vases for her, that way she doesn't have to worry about it. Also the rest of the flowers won't be sitting in the hot kichen, or where ever they are.
Cheryl
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Noni Morrison
18 years ago
OR horror of horrors, in the refrigeration unit with the fruit!