12/15/2021
OUR CUSTOMERS ARE THE BEST! 🙂
It really is true! One of the best things about the floral business is that the most kind and thoughtful people in the world send flowers. Sure, there's the occasional exception — for example, a self-centered son or daughter, brother or sister, who feels obligated to recognize a birthday or other special occasion, and calls to place a floral order but in reality actually resents spending the money. But for the most part, people who send flowers do so because they care, and want a tangible way to say, "I love you", "I'm thinking about you", or "I miss you".
We feel pretty protective of these people — those who entrust us with expressing their heartfelt kindness through the gesture of floral delivery.
So, as our calendars are steadily closing in on the festive celebrations of Christmas and the New Year, I wanted to share a few things to help you navigate sharing the gift of flowers:
1) ORDER AHEAD! It's always better to place your order in advance. While we and most true florists do our best to accommodate requests for same-day delivery, it isn't always possible. As my wife sometimes says, "It isn't a Big Mac". It's not a drivethru Combo #4 with fries and a rootbeer. The operational logistics for a florist, of planning, building, and delivering multiple flower arrangements each day, the work schedule becomes very crowded very quickly. So the customer who plannned ahead, who already has a paid order scheduled for delivery, will be taken care of, has to be taken care of, and deserves to be taken care of. Even with the best of intentions, last-minute floral orders might not be possible.
2) HAVE A PLAN. Certainly you can call and place an order with a florist completely on the fly, and without a plan; but at least take a moment to determine what's important to you. Do you want a specific look, style, favorite color or flower selection? Is staying within a particular budget important to you? What's the occasion? What's the mood or meaning you're wanting to convey?
3) WRITE OUT YOUR CARD MESSAGE. What written message do you want to send for the enclosure card? Many people, if not most, stall out when it comes to composing their card message.
4) BASIC INFO. What is the contact and delivery information of the recipient? Name, address, and contact phone number? Are there any specific scheduling considerations, when will the recipient be home to accept delivery? Is a gate code needed for the delivery driver?
5) CHOOSE CAREFULLY. Beware of order gatherers! Everyone has heard of those companies with names like "Toll-Free Flowers" or something seemingly personal, like "Linda's Flowers". So you're needing to send flowers to someone out-of-town, out-of-state, or even out of the country. You look online, expecting to find a florist in the area. The first three to five listings say things like "family owned", "local", and maybe something like "45 years in business". But in reality, you're seeing paid ads, and they're lying, and are little more than a distant call center with phone headsets and computer screens — no flowers; and no real florists. In Texas, this kind of fakery is illegal, pretending to be a local business when you're not. Do they have a local address? Can you see an actual flower shop building and signage in the "street view" map option for their physical address? Can they provide you with their state sales tax i.d.? Any real retail flower shop has this info on hand, and is even required to post it publicly in their place of business. But be sure you're calling a real flower shop. Floral Vistas delivers locally for Canyon Lake, Texas and surrounding communities throughout Comal County and surrounding areas. And beyond this, we can process your floral orders out using top-rated, real flower shops virtually anyplace in the world, to military loved ones stationed abroad, to family and friends all around the U.S. or in distant lands. (Allow extra time for us to coordinate these specialized, far distant deliveries.)
6) EXTRAS. Do you want to include a helium balloon, or a "balloon bouquet" grouping? Would you like to send chocolates? Floral Vistas is a Lindt Truffle distributor. Sending a goodie basket or care package, wine & cheese, a man-cave snack basket? Would you like to send a plush toy or some sort of gift? If we sell it, we can deliver — live plants, garden art, decorative fountains, wall art including Fine-Art paintings and Hill-Country photography, just ask!
7) FINANCING. If cost is a problem, we offer quick, easy financing through Square point of sale, for purchases from $250 to $10,000
8) QUESTIONS? FIRST-TIME ORDER? Just call. We'll walk you through it and make your order as pleasant and seamless as possible 🙂💐🐞
Floral Vistas Garden Boutique & Gallery
830-964-3989
