10 Things Your Florist Won't Tell You

How to get the best deal this year? While there's no way of avoiding inflated holiday prices completely, it helps to place your order at least a week in advance. That's because prices can creep even higher for those who wait until the last minute; florists receive more than 50% of their Valentine's Day orders on Feb. 13 and 14. And think outside the box: A dozen shorter-stem roses, for example, will be less expensive, says Jennifer Sparks, spokesperson for the Society of American Florists. And mixed bouquets, such as a few roses interspersed with some imported orchids or an assortment of California mixed flowers, are also better deals.

What gives? Third-party "order gatherers" with little experience in the floral industry are posing as local florists online. They purchase pay-per-click Google or Yahoo ads that automatically insert whatever city is being searched to make themselves appear local, then pass orders through a wire service and on to florists for a kickback: a 20% commission fee, plus a $6 to $8 rebate from the wire service. For every $70 bouquet ordered this way, roughly $45 makes it into the hands of the florist filling the order.

How to spot these poseurs? Never believe claims like "family owned and operated" and "we have a branch in that city" without checking, says a FloristDetective.com spokesperson.

For example, while Teleflora's $12 fee includes service, delivery and wire-service charges, as much as 27% of the list price of your arrangement never makes it to the florist. It means that even with some of the biggest names in the industry, ordering online "may reduce the quantity of flowers, and the quality will only be as good as the florist that's filling your order," a FloristDetective.com spokesperson says.

Does that mean there's no good way to order a bouquet online? Of course not. But be prepared to spend more on an Internet order than you would for a comparable bouquet at a flower shop. And stick to the top-rated vendors, such as Calyx & Corolla and Hallmark.

With long-distance orders, some retailers may take advantage of the fact that their customers rarely see the final product, and the recipients hardly ever complain. "But if you sent yourself flowers and they arrived looking different than the pictures you ordered from, you would blow the whistle," says George Staby, of the Perishables Research Organization.

Indeed, even when you visit a local shop and choose a bouquet from, say, an FTD guide, the translation won't always be note perfect. "If for some reason they were out of red roses, a florist might replace them with a dark pink," says FTD floral designer Michael Skaff. "We do like-substitutions for color and value."

Late flower delivery is the No. 1 complaint about the floral industry, and not getting the delivery at all is No. 2, according to the Council of Better Business Bureaus. Although some florists hire extra drivers and trucks for the heavy-traffic holidays, timely delivery isn't always guaranteed. It helps to call a local florist at least a week in advance instead of ordering online. While a small shop may stop taking orders once it reaches maximum capacity — generally two to three days before a big holiday — online brokers often don't know how much the various florists they tap can handle, says Gary Reed of the Independent Florists' Association.