If you pick up flowers at a supermarket, you’re likely to be buying them to enjoy yourself.

If you’re like most people, it’s hard to notice the difference in flowers sold by a [tag]local florist[/tag], and those sold in supermarkets anyway, except the price. And besides, it’s convenient.

Supermarkets always claim to sell “[tag]florist-quality flowers[/tag]”, but what does that really mean?

In her series “Why Shop at a Local Florist: #1“, author [tag]Amy Stewart[/tag] explains the difference between “everyday” flowers sold at supermarkets, and those sold by local florists. And she does a nice job of showing florists ways to educate customers about the quality of the flowers they provide.

Florists have been complaining for a long time about grocery stores and other non-floral outlets “stealing” their cut flower business. Amy’s post drives home a fundamental marketing principle, customer education. In my opinion, the failure of many florists to educate their customers is one of the reasons that local florists have seen their cut flower sales erode.

It’s not enough for florists to tell you they have great flowers, they need to give you reasons why you should spend a little more to buy those flowers from them.

Florists should note that this post was written from point-of-view of a loyal customer (and a raving fan of local florists). It’s the main reason I’ll be keeping an eye on Amy’s future articles.

Read Amy’s post here