Modified from article by Barry Conner, Floral Vista Garden
OUR CUSTOMERS ARE THE BEST!
It really is true! One of the best things about the floral business is that the most kind and thoughtful people in the world send flowers. Sure, there’s the occasional exception, but for the most part, people who send flowers do so because they care, and want a tangible way to say, “I love you”, “I’m thinking about you”, or “I miss you”.
We feel pretty protective of these people — those who entrust us with expressing their heartfelt kindness through the gesture of floral delivery.
So, as our calendar is steadily filling for the festive celebrations of Christmas and the New Year, I wanted to share a few things to help you navigate sharing the gift of flowers:
1) ORDER AHEAD! It’s always better to place your order in advance. While we and most true florists do our best to accommodate requests for same-day delivery, it isn’t always possible.
The operational logistics for a florist, of planning, staffing, building, and delivering multiple flower arrangements each day, the work schedule becomes very crowded very quickly.
So the customer who planned ahead, who already has a paid order scheduled for delivery, deserves to be taken care of first. Even with the best of intentions, last-minute floral orders might not be possible.
2) HAVE A PLAN. Take a moment to determine what’s important to you, the sender. Do you want a specific look, style, favorite color, or flower selection? Is staying within a particular budget important to you? What’s the occasion? What’s the mood or meaning you’re wanting to convey?
3) BASIC INFO. What is the contact and delivery information of the recipient? Name, address, and contact phone number? Are there any specific scheduling considerations, when will the recipient be home to accept delivery? Is a gate code needed for the delivery driver?
4) WRITE OUT YOUR CARD MESSAGE. What written message do you want to send for the enclosure card? Many people, if not most, stall out when it comes to composing their card message.
5) CHOOSE CAREFULLY. Beware of order gatherers! Everyone has heard of those companies with names like “Toll-Free Flowers” or something seemingly personal, like “Linda’s Flowers”. So, you need to send flowers to someone out-of-town, out-of-state, or even out of the country.
You look online, expecting to find a florist in the area. The first three to five listings say things like “family owned”, “local”, and maybe something like “45 years in business”. But in reality, you’re seeing paid ads, and they’re lying, and are little more than a distant call center with phone headsets and computer screens — no flowers; and no real florists.
Do they have a local address? Can you see an actual flower shop building and signage in the “street view” map option for their physical address? Can they provide you with their state sales tax i.d.? Any real retail flower shop has this info on-hand, and is even required to post it publicly in their place of business. But be sure you’re calling a real flower shop.
Equinox Floral delivers locally around Canyon Lake, New Braunfels and Spring Branch, Texas. Beyond this, we can process your floral orders out using top-rated, real flower shops virtually any place in the world, to military loved ones stationed abroad, to family and friends all around the U.S. or in distant lands. (Allow extra time for us to coordinate these specialized, far distant deliveries.)
6) EXTRAS. Do you want to include a helium balloon, or a “balloon bouquet” grouping? Would you like to send chocolates? Sending a goodie basket or care package, wine & cheese, a man-cave snack basket? Would you like to send a plush toy? If we sell it, we can deliver!
7) QUESTIONS? FIRST-TIME ORDER? Just call. We’ll walk you through it and make your order as pleasant and seamless as possible
Equinox Floral
830-964-3989