Headlines

Proflowers.com May Have a New Tune

Something is pleasantly missing from www.proflowers.com — the word "florist."

The grower-direct Internet flower provider has a history of making disparaging references to florists in its marketing campaigns. For example, for Valentine's Day 2001, Proflowers advertised, "You'll get twice the freshness at about half the price of a florist." And, in a Valentine's Day 2005 Proflowers.com press release quoting the company's president and COO Abe Wynperle: "When considering a Valentine's Day gift, consumers should be aware that national wire services and local florists use an outdated business model that often results in the delivery of flowers that are less fresh, more expensive and unpredictable."

SAF has contacted Proflowers.com many times over the years about its tactics and requested that the company eliminate the references to florists and promote products and services on their own merits. SAF last contacted the company during Valentine's Day 2007, because of its slogan, "Love comes fresh from a field. Like comes from a florist's cooler."

Currently, that motto is abbreviated on www.proflowers.com's home page, "Send Love. Not like." The entire Web site has a new look, and it appears that the word "florist" has been omitted from its Web pages.

While this is certainly a good step, SAF will continue to monitor Proflowers.com's promotions.

SAF is the industry's voice in instances of harmful publicity. If you spot a negative floral statement, e-mail jstromann@safnow.org or fax (703) 836-8705.

--Jenny Stromann
jstromann@safnow.org

 
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States Pass Strict Immigration Laws

Lack of federal immigration legislation is causing states to pass their own immigration laws — some of which are so stringent that thousands of Hispanics have chosen to leave their home states.

"As predicted, states are taking a harsh stance on immigration in the absence of comprehensive immigration reform," says Jeanne Ramsay, SAF's senior director of government relations. "Starting in 2006, several states took matters into their own hands ... the state [immigration] laws include penalties, fines and other punitive consequences for conducting business with undocumented workers."

In early November, ABC-affiliate KTUL-TV reported that tens of thousands of Hispanics had left Tulsa, Okla., to avoid the crackdown on illegal immigrants that the strict new laws will bring. "I know they are not kicking me out, but I am having to leave because that's what they want me to do," said Maria (who declined to give her last name) to KTUL.

The law, HB 1804, which went into effect in the beginning of November, restricts the ability of illegal immigrants to get government ID's or public assistance and allows the police to check the immigration status of anyone arrested. It also makes it a felony for U.S. citizens to knowingly provide shelter, transportation or employment to illegal immigrants.

Many Hispanics who left Tulsa are heading to either Arkansas or Kansas. Arkansas, however, is about to adopt similar legislation, reported KTUL, and Kansas is considering similar action.

Oklahoma isn't the only state with its own immigration laws. In 2007, 18 states enacted immigration legislation. Georgia, Colorado and Arizona are considered to have exceptionally tough immigration laws and have experienced a drop in the states' Hispanic populations, according to USA Today.

Real estate agent Guadalupe Sosa of Avondale, Ariz., told USA Today in August that of the 10 homes she has on the market, half belong to families that are planning to leave because of immigration tension. Colorado State Sen. Dave Schultheis told the publication that while he hasn't seen a major migration out of Colorado, he has heard reports that immigrants are leaving. "It is absolutely a good thing," he said about these reports to USA Today. "We want to make Colorado the least friendly state to people who are here illegally."

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

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House Passes Non-Discrimination Legislation

The House recently passed a bill to ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which prohibits businesses with 15 or more employees from discriminating against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation, passed the House on Nov. 7. The legislation includes an exemption for armed forces, private clubs and religious organizations, reported The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

"We have made history today by passing legislation that ensures discrimination based on sexual orientation is wrong and will not be tolerated," said Rob Andrews (D-1-N.J.), the House subcommittee chairman on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, in a written statement, as reported by SHRM.

The bill did garner some bipartisan support — 35 Republicans joined with Democrats to vote in favor of ENDA. 

A total of 20 states have passed legislation to end workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. According to data released by Out & Equal (as reported by The New York Times), 82 percent of Fortune 500 companies include sexual orientation in their written equal-employment opportunity or primary nondiscrimination policy.

The House-passed measure does not contain a controversial provision, originally included in the proposal, to offer transgender and gender identity protection for workers.

SHRM reports that while a Senate version has not been introduced, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) said he would introduce legislation soon. The White House, however, has indicated that President Bush would veto the measure  

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

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Newsmakers

SAF/FPO Alliance Promotes Workplace Flowers

Commuters tuned into their favorite radio station are hearing all about the benefits of seeing flowers in the workplace.

The SAF/FPO Alliance distributed an audio news release, promoting SAF/FPO's 21st Century Well Being, Commitment and Productivity Study, across the country during the weeks of Oct. 7 and Nov. 4.

The results of that effort: 359 stations aired the audio news release, for a total of 726 broadcasts and 3,051,050 consumer impressions. The broadcasts covered 180 local markets, including 22 of the top 25 markets and 40 of the top 50 markets, such as: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Boston, Miami, Seattle, Phoenix, Minneapolis and St. Louis.

In the story, business strategist Courtney Anderson, J.D., M.B.A., tells listeners: "Studies show that adding something as simple as fresh flowers can enhance the moods, social interaction and workplace energy ... They are more than beautiful, they are a real business tactic."

The audio news release is a direct result of the strategic alliance of SAF and the Flower Promotion Organization (FPO).

Capitalize on the SAF/FPO public relations programs and generate publicity for your shop by sending local media a news release.

--Jenny Stromann
jstromann@safnow.org

 
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Buy Flowers, Says the Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Tribune encourages readers to buy more flowers.

The Chicago Tribune Web edition recently ran some great advice for consumers with a case of the morning "blahs": Buy flowers.

The article, "Daily Wellness Tip: Buy Flowers," states, "Mood researchers at Harvard University found that people perk up when flowers are incorporated into their morning routines." The Tribune reports the results of the SAF/FPO Alliance's Home Ecology of Flowers Study.

"The study showed that flowers impact people emotionally at home, causing them to feel less anxious and more compassionate, according to lead researcher Nancy Etcoff, Ph.D. Participants even reported a boost of energy that lasted throughout the day," says the article, citing the Home Ecology study, which was conducted at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.

The article also ran floral decorating tips from the Home Ecology campaign, provided by Rebecca Cole, host of the Discovery Channel's Surprise by Design. Cole tells readers to "choose citrus-colored flowers for a sunny feeling" and to accent colors in the kitchen with flowers.

In addition, nearly 10,000 newspaper editors across the country received the ready-to-print article, "Research Shows Flowers Boost Morning Moods," on Nov. 15. The SAF/FPO Alliance sent out this article to newspaper editors to keep flowers top-of-mind during the busy holiday season.

The SAF/FPO Alliance's read-to-print article.

The SAF/FPO materials reports the benefits of seeing flowers in the morning, one of the findings of SAF/FPO's Home Ecology of Flowers Study.

These efforts are a direct result of a second Home Ecology of Flowers public relations campaign launched by an alliance of SAF and the Flower Promotion Organization (FPO) in October to promote the study's findings about flowers in the morning. SAF/FPO launched the initial PR campaign promoting the study's findings in October 2006.

Generate publicity for your shop. SAF members can access customizable press releases on the benefits of morning flowers and the results of the Home Ecology of Flowers Study.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

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Life at Work

What's In a He/She E-mail?

Women are more inclined to respond immediately to work e-mails as opposed to men, according to a gender communication specialist's research published in a syndicated American City Business Journals column.

Connie Glaser, author of "GenderTalk Works," dissects the differences between men and women in how and what they write in their work e-mails, which can often lead to misunderstandings between the sexes.

For example, she says that women "tend to use language to create rapport, closeness and friendship," because they're concerned about others' feelings. Men, on the other hand, she continues, "tend to use language as a way to establish status or authority among themselves" because they apply a more direct approach in speaking or writing.

In addition, men are succinct in their writing ('he-mail') compared to the tendency of women to be drawn out and detailed with their correspondence ('she-mail'), according to the article.

Glaser provides final thoughts on how each gender can lessen the potential for communication misunderstandings:

For men — "Acknowledge e-mail response with at least one complete sentence. Otherwise, you risk coming across as brusque or too busy to listen."

For women — "Use a professional tone in your e-mail and avoid getting too personal. Tentative language or online lingo ("lol" for instance) can make you appear cute or unsure of yourself."

To read more about other gender differences in the workplace, refer to the previous week's issue of E-Brief.

--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org

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Trends and Tips

Retailers Make Online Improvements as Holidays Approach

A number of retailers have retooled their Web sites to provide a more pleasant online shopping experience for their customers in advance of the sometimes maddening, and always hectic, holiday shopping season.

Online shopping is growing, especially among women. According to a study by ShopSmart magazine, published by Consumer Reports National Research Center, 96 percent of American women who have shopped online in the past 12 months have purchased at least one product over the Web. Almost a third of those shoppers — 32 percent —  have called their shopping experience a negative one.

Many retailers are responding by trying to make it easier for their customers to shop online, according to The New York Times.

Some retailers are improving the search function on their sites, so customers can more quickly find what they want. For example, stores such as Barnes & Noble, Inc., allows online shoppers to see the best-matching books to the search's key words, along with other ways to narrow the results, like searching by price range.

For other retailers, such as Brookstone, it's about recreating the real life shopping experience in virtual reality. The hardware and housewares retailer is creating a 3-D version of its stores online, where Web shoppers can walk around and browse, "pause in front of a product, and item description appears, along with a link to a checkout page," the paper reported.

--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org

 
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Sweetest Day, Boss's Day Stats Available Online

Final results for the Sweetest Day and Boss's Day surveys are available online. See how your sales compared to the overall results, as well as promotional vehicles used and much more.

Read more on the October holidays and the ways in which retail florists promoted them this year in the Oct. 17 issue of E-Brief.

--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org

 
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Believe It or Not

Singer Begs Fans to Send Jailed Husband Flowers

British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, 24, best-known for her 2006 hit single, "Rehab," is adding a new title to her repertoire: floral advocate.

The eccentric singer married Blake Civil-Fielder, 25, in May, and since their union, the duo has made headlines worldwide about their arrests, stints in rehabilitation facilities, and now their gifting of flowers.

Civil-Fielder is now in jail (since early November) because of his alleged fight with a bartender and the subsequent charges of conspiring "with the alleged victim of the assault, persuading him to withdraw as a witness at the trial," according to The Associated Press.

Earlier this week while on tour, Winehouse addressed fans at her concert and said: "I'm going to send him a bouquet of flowers. And I want everyone here to send Blake a red rose," according to celebrity reports. She then gave the audience his address at prison; Civil-Fielder is slated to be released on Friday, Nov. 23.

--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org

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Mark Your Calendar

Win a Free Registration to Congressional Action Days!

Your voice is needed more than ever at Congressional Action Days, February 25-26, 2008, in Washington, D.C.  A large and vocal showing on Capitol Hill is the only way to protect your business and keep floral industry concerns top on legislators' minds amid the din and blather of a presidential election year. Early registration helps SAF plan the most effective meeting schedules with your congressman and senators and their key staffs, so we're offering a little incentive. All attendees who are registered (or whose mailed-in registrations are postmarked) by December 15 will be entered into a drawing for one FREE REGISTRATION!

Please don't wait until the holiday rush takes all your time and attention. Click here to read more about Congressional Action Days and register today. 

--Shelley Estersohn
sestersohn@safnow.org

 
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Upcoming Events

Regular Features

Reader Feedback: Helium

A reader wrote to E-Brief editors in response to last week's story on the helium shortage. This is what he had to say:

Last year at this time I wrote you about this problem. The only thing that has changed in the intervening year is that my cost has continued to go up (I now pay $160.14 for a tank of helium as opposed to $60.00 back in 1999). On the other hand, FTD and Teleflora continue to charge $5 for a balloon (the same amount they charged back in 1999) while Bloomnet/1800Flowers charges $5.99 for one balloon and $10 for two ... Are these companies oblivious to my costs? Or is it they just don't care? And as to my colleagues, I say the same thing today as I did last year:  "Am I the only person in the field who watches his costs so that I see a necessity to raise the charge for a mylar to $6?" 
 

-- Chaim Casper
President & CEO
Surf Florist & Gifts of Miami Beach & Aventura, Fla.

 

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Product Spotlight: SAF Visa Credit Card

Looking for a unique way to promote flowers during the holidays? Just apply for the SAF Preferred Picture Visa credit card (click and scroll down to see the Visa description). After your card arrives, use it instead of the card you now carry. The striking floral photography on the face of the Preferred Picture Visa card proudly distinguishes your affiliation with the floral industry and SAF. You can also use your card to earn WorldPoints, which can get you cash, merchandise, gift certificates and more. And, if all that's not enough, you'll also be supporting SAF with every transaction at no additional charge to you.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Talk on the Forums

On SAF's Educators' Forum, one retailer member reports that the flower portion of a local hospital gift shop closed, and the shop to asked her to stock it with her product. She is wondering if any other members have sold on consignment, and what to charge. Weigh in.

More topics:
Holiday Planning

Phone systems

Start your own discussion.  

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Florists: Personal Item Fans?

Almost 34 percent of readers responding to last week's e-poll said they had four to six personal items in their office or workspace. Twenty six percent said they had one to three; 22 percent said they have too many to count; nine percent said they have none; and another 9 percent said they have more than seven.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Sales for the 2006 Thanksgiving Weekend, Black Friday of Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday

Sales for the major days associated with Thanksgiving 2006 were up from the year before at 20 percent of shops; down at 25 percent and unchanged at almost half. On Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and the unofficial start of the Holiday shopping season for most retail brick and mortar shops, sales were about the same as for the weekend in general (up at 20 percent; down at 24 percent; and about the same at 48 percent). On the so-called Cyber Monday, a busy online shopping day for the holiday season, sales were about the same as the previous year at more than half the shops (52 percent), up at 8 percent and down at 11 percent. A sizable proportion of shops were unable to tell how sales were compared to a year ago on Cyber Monday (30 percent).

Thanksgiving Weekend Sales

Source: SAF Thanksgiving online survey of retail florists. Based on 343 responses (response rate = 9.0 percent), 2006.

--Ira Silvergleit
isilvergleit@safnow.org

 
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