LENEXA, Kan. – Are you looking to make a splash with your valentine? A recession ripple from South America may drown those plans. Florists say inventory costs are up 100%. What does that mean for you?
Inside Joyce’s Flowers, they are spraying petals with a special solution to protect them for Valentine’s Day customers like Lynn Blasdel.
“My mother has just been put in a nursing home and I wanted her to make sure she gets something pretty on Valentine’s Day,” Blasdel said.
But making that happen during economic recession is no bed of roses.
“The price of flowers has gone up quite a bit,” said Sarah Fischer, owner of Joyce’s Flowers.
Fischer said she is paying double for inventory. She says growers in South America are going out of business. Even though they have tons of supply, their flowers come at a premium.
“If I did my standard mark-up for Stargazer Lilly’s right now, they’d be about $14 a stem,” Fischer said. “Last year, they cost $10. I’m keeping them around the $10-$12 mark because customers just do not want to be paying $14 for on stem of flowers.”
So, Fischer is eating the added cost.
“It’s not about making money,” she said.
It’s about surviving and doing whatever it takes to attract repeat customers for future success.
“If you impress them now, then they will come back again and again,” Fischer said.
So more than ever for florists, this Valentine’s Day is an investment that can bloom or wilt depending on customers.
“I’m sure whatever I order will be lovely and my mother will enjoy it very much,” Blasdel said.
