The lady who complained I used too much filler greenery

I had this one customer a few years back at a farmer's market in Asheville. She bought a bouquet from me, then came back 10 minutes later and said I was just packing it with cheap eucalyptus to pad the price. I told her no, I use greenery to give the blooms structure and make the arrangement last longer, but she wasn't having it. She pointed at another vendor's booth and said their bouquets were pure flowers and cost less. I tried to explain that a mix of foliage helps with water uptake and keeps roses from drooping, but she just walked off. It stuck with me because I think a lot of customers don't see the value in what we do behind the scenes. Now I put a small note in my bouquets about the role of greenery. Has anyone else had a buyer totally miss the point of your design choices?

3 comments

3 Comments

sanchez.ivan15d ago

She probably would've had a field day with my early arrangements where the greenery was basically holding the whole thing together like a botanical hostage situation. Eucalyptus is literally the unsung hero of keeping flowers from looking like a sad pile of stems, but try explaining that to someone who thinks it's just fancy lettuce. At least the label idea is smart, maybe next I'll print a QR code to a video of me crying over wilted roses.

casey34215d ago

Botanical hostage situation" is exactly right, I read a study once that said greenery helps the whole bouquet last almost twice as long by regulating moisture. Customers just see leaves and think they're getting ripped off. The note is a good move, people need that little nudge to understand the craft.

morganl7115d ago

QR code to crying over wilted roses, now that's a subscription model I'd actually pay for.