Crystal Lake Floral Design - Blog

A great Time At The State Fair - WOW 13 Winners

nospam@example.com (Phillip Murphy) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:14:36 -0500

WOW -- We had a great time Labor Day Weekend - Sunday at the State Fair. We were in the "Hort" Building promoting the Minnesota State Florist Association, And of course, or Minneapolis Flower Shop, Crystal Lake Floral Design & Orchids By Murphy.

We Had A Blast

Just getting warmed up...

Test Spin of 'Phil's Spinning Flower Wheel Of Good Fortine'!

We had a chance to see some long lost friends from our days when we were very active with the Orchid Society of Minnesota (Our Family, the last remaining charter members) What fun...

Now to the "Phil's Spinning Flower Wheel Wheel Of good Fortune" - We Actually Had a winner that hit the Grand Prize! 1200.00 Worth of flowers, Monthly delivery of our Beautiful Minnesota Grown Roses, for a year!

We brought in a very nice display, many beautiful bouquets, our spinning 'Phil's Flower Wheel of Good Fortune' and of course our wonderful crew, me - Phil, Dad and the lovely Linda to answer all questions about all flowers and floristry!

Now, we get to work -- People were absolutly thrilled we were there, and so helpful. Questions ranged from simple ones... Why do my roses from the grocery store wilt so quick, to... WHERE IS THE TALK ON THE COMPOST PILES as folks barged thru the crowds looking for the DNR area...!... Definately something for everyone at the fair.

As the day built up, so did the crowds, and before I knew it, our day was over! Wow, what fun - I cannot wait for next year - See you all at the fair 2010 - Labor Day Sunday! - Phillip Murphy - Crystal Lake Floral Design & Orchids By Murphy

We had a total of 13 Winners (Wheel Spins & Drawings were every 30 Minns) on Phil's Spinning Flower Wheel of Good Fortune at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair. All Winners Were Notified By Mail - Prizes can be redeemed online at MSPFlorist.com with issued Coupon Codes, or in person at the Flower Shop, Crystal Lake Floral Design 1420 Dowling Ave, Minneapolis MN 55412

Live At The Fair!

nospam@example.com (Phillip Murphy) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:38:27 -0500

It's that time of the year!
The Great Minnesota Get-Together, The State Fair Is Here! - WOW - Way to quick for me... none the less - We will be live at the fair this year, Crystal Lake Floral Design & Orchids By Murphy will be attending the fair this year in the Horticulture Building, The last sunday of the Fair on September 6th, from 9am - 3pm. We will be there spending the day with fair goers, answering questions about flowers, telling all about our wonderful Minneapolis Flower Shop, now the oldest in the Twin Cities! There will be prizes every 30 Minutes with our Flower-Wheel-Of-Good-Fortune and more!. This event is soponsored by our Local Minnesota State Florist's Association, You can learn more about the association by going to their nifty new website, soposored in part by our flowershop...
Minnesota State Florist's Association Web Site Home Page

Please, visit us at the fair or visit the website listed above for more info. See you at the fair! Be There - We will be there!

Armed Service Agents, Forcing Entry -- CENTERPOINT ENERGY

nospam@example.com (Phillip Murphy) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:11:36 -0500

Holy Cow -- Last week there was a carravan of vehicles that pulled up to the flower shops front door, led by a person bearing arms, all moving towrds our front door in a very hasty fashion. Then all of sudden I realised the person with the gun was a Minneapolis Police Officer, (there was no MPS Squad car) then from behind him appeared a man carrying what looked like an expandable folder with a tie over top. These vehicles included a locksmith van.

What in the world was going on?

CenterPoint Energy And Guns -- Now go togher As Collection Tools

Centerpoint Energy and Guns -- If you owe them Money Expect to see one!

The man with the 'folder' rang our doorbell while the police officer took a defensive position to the rear, side, observing all activities in the front doorway area. We keep our flower shop secure with an electric door pass thru lock, surveillance and buzzer system - we activate the lock passsthru after we observe who is at the door, directly or by surveillance system... This entourage entered, after i 'buzzed' them in, identifying themselves as agents of "Centerpoint Energy" and that they were here infact, here to collect a debt or to terminate our gas service.

I was stoopified, terrified, and concerned for my own safety and welfare, not knowing what to expect, after all i was now facing the armed man in blue and was in fact, presented, with a 'court order' "granting them access to the property".

I asked him what in the world was going on, the reply - "This is the way we do it is Houston"

I was completely baffled... I explained to him, i thought he was perhaps Confused, as we were very clearly, in Minneapolis, he chortled, then advised me that this is the way bill collecting is done in Houston TX and now as well, in Minneapolis "and we had better get used to it". I was dumbfounded.

Further, he showed me a "Court Order" that gave Centerpoint Energy the right, to in essence, Break Into our buildings (the locksmith) and go to the gas meters and terminate service.

I advised him it would have been impossible for them to gain entry to the facility with our electro magnetic security system that locks the doors, even with the locksmith, they could not have pulled the dooes open as they are secured beyond the deadbolts. I asked him, had i not been here, would a hole have been smashed in our building? glass been broken to gain access? I asked the fellow to what lengths would they go to enforce this collection effort... he would not answer...

We anted up the several thousand dollars and they were on their way...

The moral of this story... even making minimum payments on an account that has arrears with Centerpoint Energy, you will run the risk of looking down the gun barrell of a Semi-automatic pistol at the behest of yor friendly Centerpoint Energy Collection Agent - we are very fortunate we did not have this happen here... however...

Lets hope you escape with your life as i did. After living thru this horrible experience, i can see immediatly how this could go horribly wrong, in the most unfortunate circumstance where someone mighe feel as if they have 'nothing else left to "lose"'!

.

Minneapolis Police

The Minneapolis Police are doing wonderful work of late, crime in the North Side is down, why are they allowing Officers to serve as debt collection enforfement officers for Centerpoint Energy? God forbid should anything bad happen, I think there would be allot of explaining to do by the Police Department and, for sure things would not look so good for the department

With the Augist 01 closing of Minneapolis Floral - We are the longest running Florist....

nospam@example.com (Phillip Murphy) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:51:46 -0500

With the Pending Closing, August 01 2009 of Minneapolis Floral, We will be the Florist and Flower Shop in Minneapolis with the longest uninterrupted run of retail flowers being sold in the city! -- Bachmans, Lindskoogs and all of the others came later! Some surprisingly - Much Much Later!

Three Families have owned our property since the late 1880's. The Bertelsons originally grew geraniums here at the corner of what was then 38th Avenue N & Humboldt. These plants were used as grave decorations for the Crystal Lake Cemetery.

The the Robert Stern Family, From Germany, built up several city blocks worth of Cypress wood and Glass Greenhouses and in 1904 became one of only a handful of retail Florists in Minneapolis - The Smoke Stack for the Coal Fired Boiler House was the Tallest Structure in Minneapolis until the Foshay Tower was built in 1929

In 1992 the now, Late, Sandra Murphy, dubbed the Twin Cities Orchid Lady (in memorium http://orchidblooms.com/) and her family, Purchased the 'Robert Stern Florists' then being run by the 3rd generations of Sterns, to grow Orchids in the Greenhouses that were rebuilt from wood to Aluminum and Steel in 1963 and continue the Retail Floral Sales. The business is now run by her husband Greg and son, me, Phillip Murphy now dubbed 'Phil the Minneapolis Florist'.

We hope to keep the longstanding tradition instilled into our very essence by Mom, of offering unique, fresh and affordable floral designs at affordable prices for many more years to come - God Willing!

Thank You For Visiting!

Phillip Murphy - Greg Murphy and the entire Crystal Lake Floral Design & Orchids By Murphy staff

FAKE FLORISTS LOOKING TO RIP YOU OFF - TAKE YOUR MONEY AND RUN - To Your Neighborhood Florist!

nospam@example.com (Phillip Murphy) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:48:00 -0500

This is all about Fake Flower Shops, with Fictitious Florist phone listings and bogus SERP listings.

FAKE FLORISTS ABOUND on the WWW, where out-of-area, NOT CITIES WHERE YOU ARE LOOKING ON THE WWW, companies purchase local phone numbers and use city names, and worse, fake addresses and fake business names, to imply the operation of local businesses, (phone companies call these 'phone numbers' "market expansion" lines). These profiteers are now such a problem for consumers and honest, hard working florists that the US Federal Trade Commission has issued a few Consumer Alerts over the past few years - One entitled Petal Pushers: Is Your 'Local' Florist Really Long-Distance? Excerpt from the article:

em>When you call a florist, you're unknowingly forwarded to an out-of-town telemarketing service bureau operation. The telemarketer takes your order and credit card information for payment, and forwards your order to an area florist. The telemarketer pockets a processing fee and usually a percentage of the sale as well. You don't realize you've been scammed until you get higher than expected charges from an out-of town company on your credit card statement, or learn that the flowers weren't delivered as ordered, or were never delivered at all.

There is more posted here: from Petal Pushers, an earlier alert: THESE FAKE FLORISTS - Are a real problem for everyone!
http://www.mspflorist.com/flowers/browse-info/category/flowerfacts-flower-rip-offs

Today I did my usual daily SERP test in MSN (BING) Yahoo and Google and see an ever more astounding number of FAKE FLORISTS stampeding the internet, masquerading as local hard working florists in MY MARKET AREA!

This is UNCONSCIONABLE!

If this madness continues the corner family run flower shops will be, within a few years nothing but folklore, as these companies are taking prime positions on the www, and i am sure flower dollars in their entirety, that are intended, for local markets and shaving off substantial sums before sending the very same order back the very same market to a local flower shop (yes it is confusing).

When you shop for Flowers, of for that matter anything, do your very best to shop and keep as much of your hard earned cash, in your local or destination community, so your dollar, will not go thru endless loops of hands taking layers of your money away from your end goals!

When you shop online it is getting to be very difficult to filter the bad from the good, many folks simply abandon their quest for a floral purchase, or fall back on old time standby's like FTD which really is not an actual florist either as they are simply a virtual entity willing to take your money and keep a hefty percentage, over 20% before they send it back to that ever so hard working flower shop in your flower gift, delivery service area, at a substantial reduction in value. If you spend 100.00 at FTD.com the MOST a flowershop in minneapolis will see of this is 72.oo - your money simply disappears into the FTD corporation.

And the worst part, the receiving shop get these orders at this "discount", they are supposed to fill them 'to value'. Not sure exactly what this means, but your best value will certainly happen when you order direct from your local honest-to-goodness-florists - take the time - find a shop that will work with you that has walk in retail trade - a cooler full of flowers!

I have put together a dedicated web site to help folks with just this task - http://www.ipflorist.com/ in our spare time at our flowershop, we have done the programming and website design to publish this site - and invite you to use it, florists as well!

Here is how this FAKE FLOWER SHOP scam works:

....the worst part of this, most often you do not realize you have been scammed until you get your bill, as the recipients of flowers will most often not tell you they were dissatisfied with the condition of the flowers you sent them or thought the bouquet was 'small", for fear of hurting your feelings - They mostly, are grateful, someone is thinking of them - even if they get lousy flowers! These scammers know this! The only way you would know these flowers were less that what you had hoped for, is if you had a chance to see them in person or got word, thru a 3rd party!

Ok - The Dirty Details, There Are A Few, Of This Industry Every Flower Buyer Needs To Understand Now!

What is a Fake Florist?
A Fake florist is typically an entity that operates on the internet, or advertises in a manner that implies they are local, when in fact they do not even have a physical location in that market area, and often these companies go to lengths to purchase local phone #’s to give they appearance they are local. The most obscene instances they get preferred local listings by using FAKE addresses, or legitimate local addresses, but there of course, is no actual flower shop at these locals. It is not uncommon for Fake Florists to advertise in such places as the Yellow Pages or Internet Directories and give the impression that they actually deliver flowers locally in a specific area.

Then it gets worse, Your Order Often Shrinks --- you ask, What is an Order Skimmer?

Order Skimmers are frequently Fake Florists, and of late, more often than not, are actual florists that operate in an unethical manner. Order skimmers typically use one or more, well known national wire services such as FTD, Teleflora, or 1800flowers to operate taking your flower order (they market themselves on the www, tricking you to do business with them in cities where they do not exist), then send it back at to your destination city at a reduced rate, to a local flower shop, the very same task you set out to do and in essence stealing from you - And very often, not sending all of the total of your order to the receiving flower shop, or keeping the supposed 'delivery fee' for themselves. These order skimmers typically focus on gathering flower orders online, charging a large or unreasonable service fee (which is typically not disclosed to the customer but added to your bill at end of order at last checkout page), and sending the diluted dollar amount to a actual local florist (order may be 100.00 of flowers - they send 69.95 for 'big beautiful bouquet), the local florist, maybe the very florist you may have thought you ordered from, who then receives the discounted order, will often deliver a much smaller or cheaper arrangement than what the sender intended or requested based on the dollars actually sent to him. Often these Order Skimmers will include special notes on order trying to gain sympathy from the filling flower shop to get a bigger arrangement --- "All customer can afford, please make as bog as possible, etc... While they skim $$$ off the top!)

Then there is the potential problem of Flowers in a box --- you ask, What is a Direct Shipper?

Often web sites show beautiful flowers arranged, tastefully by skilled hands, you say WOW this looks nice, seems affordable and order them. By the time you check out you have been upsold and have had fees assessed to your order... you think OK, it looked good on the picture, and keep clicking - Enter your CCard info and you are done... Then some days later you discover these flowers arrived in a box with feeble instructions on how to arrange them. You sent these to a person that was elderly and could not see as well as you do, you are feeling ooohh... not so good about your purchase all of a sudden... We hear stories, some much worse, every week similar to this at our flower shop here in Minneapolis, from people that have been burned by these sometimes HUGE companies that are not completely forthright in telling of the fact these are not ACTUAL FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS -- Direct Shippers are entities that frequently work directly with flower growers or wholesalers, are internet based, and rely on national delivery services such as UPS or FEDEX to allow them to often, resell and deliver these flowers-in-a-box. Direct Shippers are sometimes able to provide flowers at a lower cost claiming to cut out the middle man (the hard working local florist). It may be true that direct shippers are able to ship fresh flowers, keep in mind, often while those flowers are in transit, they are typically exposed to conditions that drastically reduce their life. These flower packages are frequently shipped with all other types of cargo exposing them to extreme conditions such as freezing temperatures, extremely warm temperatures, no water, and exposure to ethylene and carbon monoxide gas which contributes to a much shorter vase life.

The only flowers we have had success with Direct Shipment are Tropical Flowers and Orchid Leis - We offer these on our site http://alohabouquets.com/ they come direct from the Big Island of Hawaii --

How do Order Skimmers and Fake Florists operate?

Order Skimmer’s and Fake Florists have to rely on customers to find their phone # on their website via the WWW in SERPS's or in advertisements on the internet (ADWORDS Etc) publications such as the Yellow Pages are in my opinion no longer a real means of getting this data out - is all WWW. That said, the customer places his order with the company, on the phone or on their *these OG's as they are referred to in the industry, web sites, who then transmits the order through a wire service FTD, TELEFLORA, BLOOMNET. The wire service sends the order to the local florist who delivers the arrangement at a reduced rate. THESE HARD WORKING FLOWER SHOPS DO NOT GET ALL OF THE MONEY YOU INTENDED FOR THEM - THEY GET THESE ORDERS AT A REDUCED RATE

The following example is for demonstration purposes only, and not specific to any particular order gatherer. fake flower shop, or wire service.

Customer decides to send a dozen roses for $80:

Customer unknowingly contacts an unscrupulous proprietor of flowers and places order.
unscrupulous proprietor of flowers deducts (Skims off the top) $7.
unscrupulous proprietor of flowers sends order through a national wire service (FTD TF BLOOMNET).
Wire service receives order, now valued at $72, and sends to a local florist in recipient’s area.
Wire Service deducts handling fee of 7%.
Actual local florist receives order now valued at $66.96.
Now consider this - They are Obligated to send the originator of this order a 20% commission, further reducing what cash is actually available to fill this $80.00 original order...

...So the florist that receives this 80.00 order has to send the originator, the FAKE FLORIST a WHOPPING $16.00, (on skimmed order of 72.00 submitted to WS commission is $14.44) for the privilege of taking this 'Wonderful' order...

Now the actual florist making this delivery for this 'Skimmed' 72.00 order has to deduct a delivery fee which typically ranges from $9.95 to $12.95 - leaving florist with a measly sum of approximately $60.00 for the actual flowers - but wait - this hard working local florist has to pay the commission on this 72.00 (assuming it is a 'skimmed order') to the tune of $14.44 at months end with the monthly wire service reconciliation.

This actual florist filling this order that started out as 80.00 will get the pittance of $ 45.56 (Remember, often the supposed delivery fee added at and of order is not passed as part of the order - this is the added fee structures added at the end of your orders when ordering from these vendors. On FTD.com they refer to this fee as "Service Charge : $14.99" - this fee at FTD is not passed to florist thank you very much ftd for the privilege of doing business with you!)

Recipient Flower Shop ends up with order that is frequently diluted by as much as, in this case which is not uncommon 44.04% YIKES - This Hundreds Of Times Everyday In This Country - Stop The Madness - Call Your Local Florists, In Person, Avoid Fake Florist flower scams! Follow these tips prior to placing your order!

Ask family or friends for recommendations!
Deal only with shops that list a legitimate street address (check it out) with a local phone #
Ask, "How late are you open, I would like to stop in and pick up some roses" (this one usually stumps them as these clowns have no idea what city you are calling from
Ask for directions to the 'flower shop' to determine if the shop is indeed “local”
Ask the flower shop to itemize your charges, insist on this!
Ask any personal questions about the local area you can think of to help you determine if this is indeed a local shop
Enter the shops 'local' area code and phone number into search engines - if this is a legit shop in locale, they will return many search returns that will be 'on target' for that city
Finally feel free to use the web site i created to help filter out the bad eggs, http://www.ipflorist.com The Internet's Preferred Florist Association

Very BAd Things Happening In Minneapolis' North Side

nospam@example.com (Phillip Murphy) — Tue, 05 May 2009 10:20:10 -0500

did not sleep much last nite

bad things happen around here, around our minneapolis florist and flower shop....

very bad....

last nite -- actually yesterday as i was leaving the flower shop -- doing a delivery on the way home--- about 5 in the afternoon...

i was sitting at a red light at penn and broadway, (headed shoth on penn) and i was caught up in a real life gun battle --

there were lots of police in area -- i had just driven past one squad - and had seen another up the next block... and many in area as i drove down penn from dowling -- especially shoth of lowrey

then from the block i was on -- behind me i heard many gun shots --- a barrage of gun shots rang out - the the return fire! many many more shots... Pop Pop Pop so fast it was impossible to count

then another burst -- and more and more the sounds of the pop pop pop getting closer....

these bullets were whizzing past my car -- i could hear then wwwhhhhssssshhhp one after the other, not hearing the initial pop - there is truth to the phrase - "I did not hear the shot" the bullets get to you faster that the sound of the firing -- every now and then one would hit something -- a building in area or other cars, Plink, Plunk - Thwap --- i thought my car got hit -- one of the 'plunks' was very close to my car -- these sounds of the bullits hitting things around me, sounded like the sound a small rock might make when thrown at a can, or peice of wood, then off to my right -- a car was speeding diagonally, across penn ave into a nearby parking lot of the old bean scene, and drove thru this lot -- and sped onto the cross street -- broadway -- this was a car that was shooting back at the original shooters --

are these are mostly kids -- teenagers doing all of this --- ???

what in the name of god is going on here....

thankfully, i got the hell out of there in one piece -

the air was full of the haze and undeniable odor of exploded gun powder - lots of it... A cloud of it was in the area... A real live, real life war zone in the streets of Minneapolis

there were people sitting / standing at near by bus stop... they are very lucky they did not get killed ---

This the horror - of trying to do business in Minneapolis's north side...

we hope this new website will help us grow our business, so that maybe we can get the hell out of Minneapolis and build new greenhouses in a safer place!

here is a link to the Minneapolis Shot Spotter web sites titles "Shots Fired Maps"

Shots Fired Maps Minneapolis

here is an actual map of Minneapolis for April 21 2009 -- The red blotches that look like a cancer on the city are the North Side - every week the maps look this way --

Minneapolis Shot Spotter Map April 21 2009

Shots Fired Map Link

We have to stop this madness

We do need your support, more than ever before -- please do not be afraid to order flowers from us, as we do take safeguards to help insure our safety, and keeping off Penn and Broadway are now part of these safeguards!

Phil

Re-Use and Recycle --

nospam@example.com (Phillip Murphy) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 21:33:21 -0500

At Crystal Lake Floral Design & Orchids By Murphy, we feel it is important to make as minimal of an impact on the worlds landfills and toxic waste sites as possible

We recycle just about everything and are as eco-friendly as possible, we use a minimum of pesticides in our pest management program in our greenhouses and have gone from two dumpster tips per week, to one every 3 to 4 months!

We compost all of our flower trimmings and greenhouse organic waste

We recycle all of our corrugated packaging products

Our Aluminum cans go every few months to the scrap iron yard for 80 - 100 USD - nice cash in the pocket

It has been fairly easy to make these transitions over the past 3 years, we encourage all business to do everything they can to reduce their impact on the environment

Phil murphy

CLFD Pic Post

nospam@example.com (Phillip Murphy) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:02:49 -0600

Post your photos of flowers you have received from Crystal Lake Floral!

Feel free to post your wonderful photos of you CLFD Delivered Flowers Here for All TO See!

Valentines Day 2009 - Great Success!

nospam@example.com (Phillip Murphy) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:46:50 -0600

Valentine's Day was a huge success for our shop and our many satisfied shoppers!

It is now the 19th of Feburary and we have had ZERO complaints on our work for the holiday

!!!! NOT ONE MISSED DELIVERY !!!!

!!!! NOT ONE WILTED FLOWER !!!!

!!!! NOT ONE DISSATISFIED CUSTOMER !!!!

We are very pleased with our work and happy to report, we actually had an increase in sales over last year, I am sure due to our stellar reputation!

The last V-Day complaint we had was 3 years ago, and was for broken rose blooms, which we later learned wes as a reslut of our delivery guy trying to get our HUGE ROSE arrangement into a full elevator, and the door closed on the flowers!

We are happy to have you post your comments on your Holiday Flowers Here in our Testimonial Section

MSNBC BLOG on Buying Flowers Online

nospam@example.com (Phillip Murphy) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:23:00 -0600

This is an interesting article from the MSNBC blog telling of the hidden fees when you order the drop ship boxed blowers from FTD and Pro flowers

There are never any such fees when you order from Crystal Lake Floral Design - Only Your Floral Puchase, Local Delivery or Out of Town Transfer and Sales Tax

When you order our Aloha Bouquetes there is a nominal Packing fee that is noted on each item product page, shipping fees are included in our Direct ship prices

............................................

From MSNBC BLOG

Online flower prices grow as you go

Companies often advertise one price to lure customers into their stores, then charge a higher price. In days gone by, this was called "bait and switch." Now, it's called fees and surcharges.

On the Internet, this tactic has another fancy name: "landing price." Advertisements include a low price to persuade customers to land on their e-commerce site. But by the time shipping and handling is piled on, the “out-the-door” price is substantially higher.

This tactic is most clear in the world of online florists, and most prevalent during Valentine’s Day. A quick survey of the top online florists shows that consumers using the two top sites typically pay at least 50 percent -- and often as much as 100 percent -- higher than the advertised price.
Take ProFlowers.com, which this week was running nearly ubiquitous ads with offers like this: $29.99 for a dozen roses and a free vase. But any consumer wanting the arrangement delivered on Valentine's Day will pay at least $55, after shipping, taxes, handling and a Saturday delivery fee are added. Shoppers who agree to early delivery on Feb. 12 will save $10, but will still pay around $45 (when $10 shipping, $1.99 handling and about $3 in taxes are added in). That's still 50 percent above the advertised price.

Making matters worse for shoppers: The total price isn't revealed until the last possible moment -- after the recipient's name and address, credit card number, billing address and even the "Love, Bob," note are entered. This reporter counted seven screens before the real price was unmasked. After all that typing, consumers are less likely to abandon the transaction.
ProFlowers says all its advertisements indicate customers will face additional fees

"ProFlowers advertising...clearly states that shipping and handling are additional costs," spokesman Mike Rosen said in an e-mail. He said the company has not received any complaints that its advertisements are deceptive.

Rosen also pointed out that consumers can add the total cost on their own within the first click or two. But to do that, consumers must notice and click on a link named “details” while picking the delivery date.
“I don't think you give consumers enough credit,” Rosen countered. “In this day and age customers understand this process better … and expect to pay shipping charges.”

At FTD, $19.99 flowers cost $42.77
ProFlowers’ strategy is relatively standard in the flower business. Shoppers at FTD.com may arrive at the site lured by the promise of Valentine's arrangements that cost $19.99. But that price doesn't include an additional $19.99 "service charge.” By the time customers click “order,” they are told the $19.99 flowers really cost $42.77. But at least customers at FTD.com see the full price before they are asked to enter their credit card numbers. Robert Apatoff, president of FTD, said his company was “transparent” about its pricing. “People get that they pay for shipping and handling. You can't just ship for free,” he said. “There’s nothing new about price point advertising…it’s consistent with the practices of the vast majority of online and offline retailers.”
He also said that $19.99 was a reasonable service charge when the additional costs of special handling and Saturday delivery are factored in.

After these two disappointing experiences, consumers might be too disheartened to try the third major online florist, 1800Flowers.com. That's too bad, because on Tuesday the site advertised a $39 arrangement with free shipping. The actual price: $39, plus tax of a few dollars. A $34 arrangement without the free shipping offer would cost $50 for delivery on Valentine's Day, but that additional charge was made clear the moment a delivery date was picked.

Our wilting economy
Shopping for Valentines flowers is a study in why the U.S. economy is so broken today. In the end, the prices at all three sites are quite similar. Yet consumers shopping for flowers must jump through near-impossible hoops to actually comparison shop. (Only a reporter with too much time on his hands is likely to do it.) That means many consumers won't make rational economic decisions based on quality or price, but rather will choose based on which company’s advertisements are most compelling -- or, some might say, deceptive. In the end, it's almost certain that the most up-front company, 1800Flowers, will lose sales because consumers think they are getting a better price from a competitor when they really aren't.
Some might argue this is simply capitalism at work. In fact, the opposite is true. If this were a free market, all information about the transaction would be transparent, and the best product with the best price would win. Instead, the most convincing advertiser wins. Ultimately, this economic system -- which is not capitalism -- will put honest companies out of business and reward deceivers. The current list of troubled banks, home builders, mortgage brokers and retailers is a “Who's Who” of well-marketed companies that had unsustainable profits built on false advertising. Their business models were a house of cards destined to eventually fail.
When the new administration in Washington wants to renew the promise of America and create change all consumers can believe in, it will focus considerable attention on creating a true free market, which will be made obvious by its transparency and lack of unfair trade practices.

RED TAPE WRESTLING TIP
All three of the big flower sites have dynamic front pages, which change depending on how a customer arrives at the site. Make sure to click through an advertisement or enter a discount code before ordering, or you may not be presented with the cheapest price.

http://redtape.msnbc.com/2009/02/companies-often.html

Valentines Day 2009 = New Web Site

nospam@example.com (Phillip Murphy) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:54:00 -0600

Exclusive Orchids And Rose

Welcome - Wow it is almost Valentine's Day again! WOW

As usual we have our wonderful Jumbo Roses - order early - we always run out!

Order online or call 800-356-7258 Local - Please use 612-522-3316

This year we are very pleased to announce a new web site - Read all about it here

Special Events

nospam@example.com (Phillip Murphy) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:44:18 -0600

As we announce events or orchid shows we are involved with, we will post them here, subscribe to this for announcements

Guide: Funeral - Sympathy Flowers

nospam@example.com (Phillip Murphy) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:16:11 -0600

In times of sadness and sorrow, people purchase flowers to show their support and sympathy

Funeral flowers are especially appreciated during a time of grieving. Many grief specialists believe that funeral flowers aid the grief process by helping the bereaved share the meaningful memorials for loved ones. Flowers may be sent to either the funeral home or family home address.
For funerals in Minneapolis Minnesota, we suggest funeral plants, both green plants or blooming plants in baskets with a nice bow or funeral baskets or funeral standing sprays. For the home a nice fresh garden bouquet is always well received.

You can view our selection of funeral flowers here.

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It is often difficult to find the right words to express our sympathy and show our love and support for those who have lost a loved one. It is often best to just keep our message simple, letting the bereaved know that they are not alone in their sorrow. If you did not know the deceased well, direct your message to your grieving friend. If you are personally acquainted with the deceased, consider sharing a special memory or mention a few qualities you treasured about that person, such as a great sense of humor, or a giving nature. Be sincere and avoid platitudes like “I know how you feel” as chances are you do not.

"Sympathy" Card Message Suggestions
Please know our loving thoughts embrace you.
Please accept these flowers and hear the words we are not able to speak.
My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Thinking of you in these difficult times.
May the peace that comes from the memories of love shared comfort you now and in the days ahead.
Our hearts are filled with sorrow.
We're sharing your sorrow.
With deepest sympathy.
In loving memory.
With heartfelt condolences.
Fondest remembrances.
May you take comfort in knowing there is one more angel above us.
You are in our thoughts and prayers.

nospam@example.com (Phillip Murphy) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:04:11 -0600

Crystal Lake Floral Design

One of the most universal and well received gifts, world over is of course, Flowers!

Whether it is a well rounded bouquet or a single, beautiful stem of rose, or gerbera daisy, you floral gift is sure to convey the fact that you really appreciate them!

I do not think it is a good idea to get caught up in the "Meaning of Flowers", this can drive you crazy - Simply pick combinations that look good together, rely on us for help with this! Stay away from carnations and daisy mums unless you know they will be well received as often these are considered to be 'cheep' flowers.

For the first date, maybe consider colors other than red

For the holidays, consider that tastes vary widely from person to person. Best bet is to grab a 'bunch' of all one color flowers in simple loose flower clutch with simple greens, and then run. Maybe a bunch of Tulips, or Gerbera Daisies, with these the host should be able to display your flowers joyfully, quickly and without fear of having them clash with their decor.

If you are concerned about your friend not having an empty vase at the ready, go ahead and bring one - but make sure you choose a vase that can be used in multiple locations. A bubble bowl or a small square cube vase a great choices.

A potted flowering plant is also a great option. Amaryllis bulbs are absolutely stunning this time of year and they make an elegant holiday gift. The plants are slow blooming with multiple flowers that will continue to open well into January. The traditional Poinsettia is always popular - We have many varieties to choose from

Check our sympathy guide for funeral / memorial flower gifting ideas

When sending flowers to someone out of town, it is best to call a local flower shop personally, this is what we do when we have out of town orders for our clients. The more direct contact you make with the florist creating your order, the happier you will be with the final result. Make sure you are talking to an actual flower shop in your destination town! Ask questions like, "How late are you open?" Can i stop in and pick up some roses?"

If you are calling them on a toll free number, ask "What is your local dial Phone Number?" (make note of this number)

Make sure these are real shops as there are many profiteers masquerading as real, local florists vying for your flower dollar very often they have no physical presence in that actual community, your delivery destination city and all they actually do is charge you extra fees and re-route your order thru one of the 'wire services', and send your order 'back' to a flower shop in that actual city, this is a rip-off, doing you a substantial disservice.

Always make sure you are dealing with actual florists - Google their local phone numbers and see if they come up in "google local' returns if they are legit there should be reference to them in local searches by their local phone numbers

More and more buying flowers online is like navigation a live minefield - We can help - entrust your out of town orders to Crystal Lake Floral and you will never be ripped off!

One final note from Phil: Your relationship with a florist is something that you should cultivate over time. Much as a bartender might know their familiar patrons, they know 'just what you want', or maybe they will pour a stronger drink, or get to that familiar face faster on a busy night. In a similar fashion, your florist to whom you befriend yourself will go out of their way to personalize your service, to keep your continued support, I know I do. Introduce yourself, make that connection, and give them repeat business - you will see a return on your investment.

Florist Ecommerce Websites

nospam@example.com (Phillip Murphy) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 18:19:29 -0600

Do Not Get Stung With Your Next Web Site For Your Flower Shop

I am Phillip Murphy we are not full of Hot Air when we talk web sites for florists, we have been busy building them since 1997. This very website is an example of our capabilities, as you can see, they are vast!

We can serve a website for the small florist to the shop doing over a million dollars a year in sales, with many tools for marketing to help you succeed in this very competitive florist marketplace

For more info call Phillip 612-588-1800 or visit ezflowershop.com