A lot of consumers who shop online have no idea they are, more than likely, ordering flowers from a call center, an order gatherer, a middle man.
These call centers usually have an offer that is very tempting and hard to resist. They will offer you a nice arrangement (which is photoshoped by the way, but that's another story for another day) for a lower than market price.
Once you have selected an arrangement, mysterious fees start coming into play. Call centers will charge the customer a handling fee, sometimes called a processing fee which can be upwards of $19.99 or more. On top of an already high delivery fee, they list a rush-delivery fee.
By the time you finalize your purchase, you will be surprised how much more money you spent on flowers than you originally had planned to. Click Here to view a comparison of a local florist vs internet companies.
Ask a buddy, what flower shop would they recommend? Ask a co-worker; ask a relative. You can even check YELP where local consumers leave reviews, tips and pictures of local businesses including flower shops.
Make sure to always go over all florists Websites. Review their work on Facebook or Instagram. Call the flower shop and ask if they have a physical location where you can come in and pick up merchandise.
One of the easiest ways to avoid overpaying for flowers online is to always purchase directly from your local florist. You will save money and always get more flowers for your buck every time you shop local.
I highly recommend Real Local Florists to purchase flowers online. The Florist Detectives if you want to learn more about the differences between local flower shops and internet companies.
Let us know and recommend your favorite local flower shop in the comments below.
