It’s mom’s birthday. Usually you’d be with her celebrating, but this year you had to work. You’re super bummed because you love your mom, and you don’t want her to be alone for her birthday. You decide the next best thing would be to send her flowers. You realize you’ve never done this before, so you begin as one does, on Google.
You want to support small businesses, so you google florists in her area. After some mild perusing, you decide on a florist and move forward with placing an order. You think, $100, that’s a good amount of money for flowers, definitely not a cheap gesture. So you place your order with the florist, sharing some details about mom’s favorite flowers and some she can’t stand. Maybe a color suggestion.
Fast-forward to you getting a thank you text from mom. She received the flowers. She’s even sent a photo. "Great!", you think. "That was so easy!" Alas, you peer at the photo mom has sent. It looks small and underwhelming. Definitely doesn’t feel like $100. You feel like you’ve been ripped off and that feels like a lot of money.
Now, let’s rewind to before you’ve even placed your order so that we can take a peak at what happens with those flowers before they get to you.
Why are flowers so expensive?! Here is a breakdown of the journey a flower takes before it has been arranged in a modern vase and placed on your credenza.
STAGE 1:
Flowers are grown in farms all around the world. They are transported by airplanes and trucks which require fuel and people to fly or drive them. The flowers are then distributed to wholesalers.
STAGE 2:
Once the flowers are in the hands of the wholesaler, they must be processed, sorted, and maintained, which also will require people to perform these tasks.
STAGE 3:
The wholesaler will then distribute the flowers to their customers, usually by truck, which will require fuel and a person.
STAGE 4:
The florist receives the flowers. They must process, sort, and maintain the flowers.
STAGE 5:
The floral designer will create arrangements using skills and techniques acquired through many seminars, workshops, conferences, books, virtual classes and repeated dedication to the art of flowers while implementing their artistic interpretation. They will require tools and a space in order to design.
Corporations like Trader Joe’s and Costco can order in such quantities that allot pricing and advantages that aren’t available to small businesses. Each step of this process adds to the value of flowers. A lot of work goes into flowers and floral design, while mostly behind the scenes, is significant in time and cost. Like so many services, you are paying for more than just the product. And just remember, it is illegal in California to pick wildflowers from public lands, along roadways and on private property :)
