Waxman
Super Moderator
Just got back from a wild and crazy 3 days of helping a friend with a flower shop in the city. I've been working Valentine's Day for him for several years now. It's a nice break from detailing and the car wash and it makes me really appreciate what I've chosen for my own career.
The folks with a serious, retail flower business work hard! It's all manual labor; picking up the flowers at the flower market, unboxing, putting them all in water, lugging heavy buckets around, etc. There are so many steps involved in preparing a dozen roses in a vase that I'm shocked they only cost about $75.
I worked like a dog for those 3 days, helping in the shop then out in Boston and Cambridge making deliveries. Houses, huge apartment buildings, M.I.T., Harvard University, huge biotech companies, and big banks were the p[laces we went to. I was not surprised to receive a big fat ZERO for tips. Don't get me wrong; I'm not resentful about this because I'm way past that based on years of experience. But I'm still surprised that nobody tips the flower delivery person! You tip the pizza guy, right? The people who deliver your new sofa or mattress? Heck, we even regularly tip the ever-changing counter help at the local coffee shop. So why do people fail to dip into their pocket for a buck or two for the flower delivery person??? It's alot harder than pouring coffee; I guarantee it. Probably not as hard as delivering a Lazy Boy, but I tip those guys $10 each!
I actually did get a couple tips a few years back, during better economic times. They were from the elderly folks, living in tiny apartments, surely on a fixed income. They're the considerate ones.
I'll end my mini-rant with this suggestion; keep a few singles around so that if you or your spouse are ever surprised with a nice, fresh flower arrangement delivered by a tired looking guy with dirty, cut up hands, you can give him a buck.
The folks with a serious, retail flower business work hard! It's all manual labor; picking up the flowers at the flower market, unboxing, putting them all in water, lugging heavy buckets around, etc. There are so many steps involved in preparing a dozen roses in a vase that I'm shocked they only cost about $75.
I worked like a dog for those 3 days, helping in the shop then out in Boston and Cambridge making deliveries. Houses, huge apartment buildings, M.I.T., Harvard University, huge biotech companies, and big banks were the p[laces we went to. I was not surprised to receive a big fat ZERO for tips. Don't get me wrong; I'm not resentful about this because I'm way past that based on years of experience. But I'm still surprised that nobody tips the flower delivery person! You tip the pizza guy, right? The people who deliver your new sofa or mattress? Heck, we even regularly tip the ever-changing counter help at the local coffee shop. So why do people fail to dip into their pocket for a buck or two for the flower delivery person??? It's alot harder than pouring coffee; I guarantee it. Probably not as hard as delivering a Lazy Boy, but I tip those guys $10 each!
I actually did get a couple tips a few years back, during better economic times. They were from the elderly folks, living in tiny apartments, surely on a fixed income. They're the considerate ones.
I'll end my mini-rant with this suggestion; keep a few singles around so that if you or your spouse are ever surprised with a nice, fresh flower arrangement delivered by a tired looking guy with dirty, cut up hands, you can give him a buck.
