Valentine's Day Roses
I can't write about Valentine's Day without mentioning the article be published last year on the topic of Valentine's Day, written by our own Laura Janeshewski.
As Valentine's Day approaches the inevitable series of questions about roses comes to mind once again. Here are some of the most popular questions we hear every year, and some straightforward answers.
1) Why do roses increase so much in price for Valentine's week? Surely you florists must be taking advantage of the Romantics who feel the need to buy flowers for their loved ones!
It's true that the retail price of flowers increases by a significant percentage during Valentine's Week. Our 60cm Ecuadorian rose that normally retails for $5 per stem will be selling for $7 each. We will also be featuring a wider selection of roses than we normally carry, so prices will range from $2-3 up past $8 per stem.
It is important to understand that many factors impact the pricing of flowers on a daily basis, and Valentine's Week is no different. The primary factor is supply and demand. Since supply is limited to the fixed size of the growers' field across the world, the spike in demand increases the price the growers charge. Some growers will stockpile roses from previous harvests to cash in on the Valentine's Day price bump (more on this in a later answer).
The second factor that increases prices for roses is the increased labour and overhead experienced by growers and wholesalers. Since operational space is generally fixed, and the labour force can only be increased by a realistic amount, wholesalers and growers realize heightened overhead costs for processing, storage and transportation of product. These costs are passed along to the florist, and in the end to the consumer.
The net result of the increased costs means a florist's wholesale cost of a rose can double or triple. Where a florist experiences a wholesale cost increase of 200-300%, increasing the retail price to match would be unrealistic. So, even though the customer faces a 40% increase in the price of our 60cm long stemmed rose, this is to cover a significant increase in the acquisition cost of the flowers.
At Martin's, we always try to keep our prices as fair and reasonable as possible. Since we stock only premium Ecuadorian roses our prices will be higher than some competitors. You do get what you pay for, within reason. That's not to say that the florist with the highest prices always has the best flowers - but if a price looks too low to be true, there is probably a reason. I've seen the roses some places sell for $9.99 a dozen, and it's embarrassing. Nothing says "I love you" like an obviously cheap bunch of poor quality roses that's bound to die within hours.
Since you're buying premium roses from Martin's, we'll never be your cheapest option. What we aim for is value - a quality product that we're proud to attach our family name to and offer to our customers with our complete confidence, at a reasonable price. We source our roses from the growers in Ecuador, saving time and middleman costs to provide our customers with fresher, larger, more vibrant and longer lasting roses.
Remember, if you are ever not satisfied with your flowers from Martin's we will exchange them or refund your money. It's our no quibble 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Part 2 Coming Soon!
Ryan Freeman
Martin's, the Flower People
Serving you for 5 generations!
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