Can't I just order flowers online through  1-800-flowers or similar online businesses?
Sure, you can, but you are not ordering directly from the local florist.  In order to pay for all the fees, you will get a smaller bouquet and the local florist does not make any money on it.  As an example, we recently had a customer come in upset because they wondered why a $75 bouquet her husband ordered from overseas was so small.  In this case, the "seller" called us and said they wanted the "cheapest bouquet they could get delivered".  So that's what we did, not knowing the customer actually paid $75 for a $30 bouquet.  We often don't even know when an order comes from third parties (they can be very sneaky about it).  If she would not have come in, we would not have known we had an unhappy customer for a reason out of our control.  And often it looks nothing like what the picture shows and the person ordering doesn't usually know what is actually sent.  For more info see this ARTICLE

Okay, I went online and found a local florist on google where I need flowers delivered.  I'm good right?  
Maybe, maybe not.  The flower business is very good at making it look like it is a local florist.  They spend a ton of money on yellow pages ads and google ads to make you think that.  So maybe do a little research to make sure.  Do they have an actual local address listed on their website?  Even if they on google maps, they still may not be local, that's how sneaky they are.  They are very good at even making their websites look "local".  Many people are fooled into thinking it is local, when in fact, it is a middle man, who then calls an actual local florist to deliver a much smaller arrangement than you should be getting for your money.  For more info on how to find a local florist, see this ARTICLE

I saw some flowers in the supermarket/grocery store/costco that are way cheaper than the florist.  Why not just buy those?
Other than supporting your local businesses, there truly is a difference in quality and freshness depending on where you purchase flowers.  For info and facts on the difference, see this ARTICLE. 

Why do florists mark up roses so much on Valentines Day?  I feel like they are taking advantage of us.
The reason roses are so expensive on Valentines Day (and Mothers Day, etc) is, because of the demand, the suppliers raise the prices the florist needs to pay.  In all honesty, florists make very little profit on a dozen roses on Valentines Day.  If you want to save money and still impress your loved one, we recommend NOT buying roses (or mix some in with a bouquet).  See our flower arrangement photos for ideas.  
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