For Jennifer Gatto, a thoughtful
gesture soured when she decided to send flowers on Mother's
Day.
She knew she wouldn't see her mom on the special day, so
she went online to send an arrangement. But she didn't realize
she'd pay more for the card and vase, or that shipping would
cost $10 extra on Saturdays.
The package reached her mother, but everything was packaged
separately and her mother had to arrange the flowers herself.
They con you into thinking it's a really great deal and
then your end result comes out to cost a lot more than if
you go to a regular florist," said Gatto, 21, of Ross.
Internet sales have brought new competition to the flower
industry, but florists warn that consumers need to know
what and from whom they're buying.
Flowers are one of the biggest selling categories on the
Internet because of the convenience and the information
consumers get through pictures and explanations on Web sites,
said Jack Howard, vice president of national sales for Teleflora,
a 70-year-old wire service for florists.
We've definitely seen a huge shift in orders going from
traditional local florists to the online players,"
said Howard, whose company makes online sales where orders
are transmitted to a network of local florists.
The company also works to help local florists by arming
them with Web sites so that they can compete, Howard said.
"There's no reason they can't compete in the Pittsburgh
market and get their market share," he said.
Orders that don't go directly through a flower shop can
lead to higher costs and bigger hassles, florists say. Some
telemarketers -- called "petal pushers" by the
Federal Trade Commission -- buy local phone numbers to make
customers think they're a neighborhood florist, according
to a recent alert.
In reality, a national company is taking the order -- along
with a processing fee and a percentage of the sale before
passing the order to a florist.
That decreases local flower sales and misleads customers
about their purchases, said Jennifer Sparks, spokeswoman
for the Society of American Florists.
"Make sure when you call local florists to ask for
their address," she said. "If they hesitate, or
don't give you one, there's the red flag."
Jim Ludwig, 56, of Shaler, owner of Jim Ludwig's Blumengarten
Florist in the Strip District, said he has seen the effects
of impostors.
"We were smart enough to realize what they were doing,"
he said.
Ludwig's grandfather opened the shop in 1929. Since Ludwig
and his wife, Linda, took over in 1975, the way that orders
are sent and received has changed. Half of their new customers
are from outside Pittsburgh, and nearly all sales come from
their Web site and telephone orders. The shop has a "do
not fill" list of companies whose orders it won't take.
When an order comes from an outside company, a florist might
have to substitute the flowers requested or give a lower
quality, Linda Ludwig cautioned. "When you call a local
florist, you know what's fresh and what the florist has."
Lisa Caruso, 56, of Upper St. Clair said she sends flowers
only through local florists.
"If there was a problem, then I could go back to them
and say that whatever network you used had a problem,"
Caruso said. "This way, I feel I have a local connection."
Still, many people find it easier to order online, regardless
of the extra charges.
Dan Brown, 34, of Sharpsburg said that when he wanted to
send flowers for a friend's birthday, he used an online
company. The sunflowers arrived intact and on time.
"It alleviated me having to get in my car and drive
to the florist," he said. "I did it all online."
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