Central Square Florist - Cambridge- Boston, MA

Consumer Alert: ProFlowers

In the past I have written about the dangers and the deception involved in sending boxed flowers through services such as FedEx. The dangers include extreme temperatures and not getting what was pictured. My blog post had shown an actual delivery and the condition of the flowers received.  The individual who posted the video was sued by proflowers.com and forced to remove the video. I have also removed my link in the past blog to the video.
Read the whole story about ordering roses, that come to you shipped & packaged in a box, thru ProFlowers, here.....

Secretaries Week / Administrative Professionals Week

 

Secretaries Week/ Administrative Professionals Week is observed annually during the last full week in April. This year the dates are April 20-26^.

Remember to say thank you to your support staff any day that week! Many choose Wednesday, April 23rd of that special week to recognize the hard work of those who keep everything running smoothly.

"No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude".

Author Unknown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring and Easter

The first day of spring is less then two days away (March 20^th). An early Easter is this Sunday March 23^rd.  Central Square Florist has spring flowers and plants overflowing from our store onto the sidewalk of Central Square. They include cut tulips, lilies, daffodils, iris, pussy willows, fragrant California stock and more. We have beautiful blooming plants that include locally grown Easter lilies, hydrangea, hyacinth, daffodils and tulips. If you can’ make it in call or visit our web site and we can deliver your gift throughout greater Boston or national through are network of preferred florists. We will be open Easter Sunday.

 

Central Square Unity Dinner

Central Square Florist will donate table flowers for the Central Square Business Association Unity Dinner to be held March 20^th At 5:30 pm at the St. Paul AME Christian Life Center, 85 Bishop Allen drive Cambridge MA 02139
         This memorable evening brings together hundreds of business and property owners, politicians, community leaders and more. Central Square restaurants provide delicious food for the evening. At each Unity Dinner, the CSBA recognizes community members for their inspiring spirit and outstanding dedication to Central Square. This year, the CSBA is delighted to announce the following honorees:

 Chief Gerald R. Reardon, the Cambridge Fire Department
Introduced by Deputy City Manager Richard C. Rossi

 Major Stephen M. Carroll, the Salvation Army, Cambridge
Introduced by Daniel O'Neill

Michele Holmes & Marietta Sbraccia, Troop/Crew 56, Cambridge Scouting
Introduced by Derrick Z. Jackson

 

Northeast Floral Expo

Yesterday I attended the Northeast Flora Expo that is sponsored by the Connecticut Floral Association.  I find events like this to be a good source on continuing education and networking. Helps with my professional growth and enables me to share what I learned with my staff and ultimately create a better experience for our customers.
      I was able to talk face to face with some key fresh flowers and hard goods vendors. Spoke to a company about improving our branding. Purchase some new and different containers whose image with plant and or flowers will be added to my web site soon to give us some new more unique items. Had a nice visit with the team that sells and supports our in house computer system. I was pleased to find that more improvements are on the way for our software. In fact I will be beta testing the new version latter in the month that ultimately will be used in thousands of other florist shops.
    Had a discussion with the representative for Chrysal USA the vendor that supplies us with products for the complete nutrition of our fresh cut flowers. As a result I will be fine tuning our extensive care and handling system of fresh flowers. Here at Central Square florist we spend thousand of dollars annually on products that will extend the life and quality of our fresh flowers.

      

Tulips

It’ a great time of the year to come in and pick up some tulips or have us deliver a choice selection arranged in a clear glass vase, colored vase or tin pail. Our Tulips are arriving from Holland and we have a nice selection of grown in Massachusetts Tulips. Tulips come in many colors such as Yellow, Purple, White, Red, Pink and Orange. Our most popular request is to mix the colors for delivery. To keep your tulips fresh longer we recommend displaying in a cool location. Remove any foliage below the water line and recut your tulips every few days preferably with the stems under water. Keep the vase filled with fresh clean water. You can see many of the delivery options at Central Square Florist web site under Tulips

Testimonials

Central Square Florist has recently added a new section to our web site that features actual comments from our customers. In the about us section under testimonials they can be read. There is also a link from our home page on the lower right corner.

Here are a couple more that came in this past week.

Dear David,

Earlier this week, I called you from Florida to order funeral flowers for my brother's services at Keefe Funeral Home.  I wanted to let you know that the flowers which included a blanket for the casket from his children, a grandfather pillow arrangement and a stand-up bouquet from me were absolutely exquisite.  You made the difficult task easy on the phone when I called you.  It's sometimes so difficult to do this type of task long distance.I had checked 4 other Cambridge florists online.  Central Square Florists definitely had the best prices.On behalf of my family and me, I thank you for the gorgeous flowers and excellent service at a time when it was most appreciated.

Sincerely,

M M

Thank you for providing the arrangement to Connie Calvagna.  I, together with her daughter’s co-workers and friends on whose behalf this was done, had the opportunity to look at the arrangement as we paid our respects to Mrs. Calvagna and her family.  We all agreed that it was a beautiful piece, and that your work is excellent.  As the individual who placed the order, I found the special addition of the red roses was the perfect touch, and a far better color selection than lavender ones would have been.  Personally, I found the beauty of the piece in reality to be far greater than its website picture 

 Since I am unfamiliar with florists in the area, I am immensely thankful that your service and product surpassed my expectations, even after having looked at the piece on line.  The quality and freshness of the flowers was excellent as  --  when viewed today  --  they appeared to be fresh and to not have wilted overnight.  If ever asked, I will not hesitate to recommend you to others.

 Again, thank you, so much for the beautiful arrangement and the confirmations of both the order and its delivery.  Those were unexpected touches and were very helpful to me when I was asked for information about the status of the requested arrangement.

Signed,

 L D

 

Boxed Flowers

Our flowers are professionally arranged and delivered. I mention this because occasionally we get asked if the flowers shown in our containers come designed and delivered as shown. The answer is yes. At first I found it odd to be asked this question but then it was pointed out that some web sites like Proflowers display flowers in a vase but end up shipping them not arranged and in a box through services like FedEx and UPS. Another point about Proflowers and other box shippers is that they ship flowers through carriers that lack proper temperature control in their vehicles. In addition, flowers from Proflowers are left outside if a person isn’t home.Last Valentines Day our drivers reported back to us that they saw many boxes left outside in below freezing temperatures. Even at Harvard at the school mail centers they saw boxes left in freezing cold temperatures at the loading dock. Here at Central Square Florist we never leave flowers on doorsteps in below freezing temperatures.

Flowers send your hugs

Occasionaly we hear people are hesitent to send flowers when they read in leu of flowers in an obituary. This doesn't mean not to send flowers .

"Steve Schramka with Schramka-Densow Funeral Home in Thiensville says that the phrase "in lieu of flowers," doesn't mean not to send flowers. It just means that donations are another option. "Please omit" is a request for no flowers. He remarks that some families choose to say nothing so as "not to dictate how others express their sympathy."

  "Families deserve the right of complete freedom of expression at time of death. People are not cut from the same spiritual or emotional mold. Therefore, they should be free to express themselves in the manner which best conveys their emotions. Any expression which is the result of dictate, ceases to be an act of the heart"

Todd Van Beck, Funeral Director

Sending flowers is the last act in honoring a deceased. The flowers celebrate the life. It conveys your showing of care with your personal message. Flowers help heal and last as a memory of thoughtful expression of sympathy.

More information on this subject is available at http://www.inlieuofflowers.info

 

Energy Consumption of our Refrigerators

Just two weeks ago Central Square Florist Completed installation of new light fixtures, upgraded other older balusters and installed energy efficient cool natural lighting to our store. Now we are turning are attention to the energy that is used to supple our four fresh flower coolers.
    We are pleased to share that we will be installing a state of the art Cooltrol Cooler Control System that will maximize cooler efficiency. That will include replacing our Evaporator motors in our refrigerator units. The system is in place in over 4,000 stores, restaurants and wholesale distribution centers throughout the country. The plan was developed by Frank Dowling Director of business development for National resource Management and the $8.000 investment will be shared between Central Square Florist and NSTAR small business solutions.

Some of the highlights of the system are:
    1, Evaporator fans use 25% to 60% less electricity and reduce compressor run time.
    2, Door and frame heaters are controlled based on the dew points in the store, running up to 95% less.
    3, a control shuts off cooling system when loading product. That will results in energy savings.
     4, Tracks temperatures and equipment run time to measure performance and analyze energy consumption.    
     5, Identifies usage patterns so adjustments can be made to extend the life of the equipment and save energy.
     6, Has an alarm that will set off a strobe light when pre determined high or low temperature limits are exceeded. This helps to reduce or eliminate product loss.

     Information provided by National Resource Management, Inc. On the web at www.nrminc.com

Free Delivery Myth by 1800flowers.com

Once again 1800flowers.com is trying to fool the buying public into thinking they can offer free delivery through a local florist. Here in the Metro Boston delivery area, florists typically charge $10.00 to $15.00 for local delivery. It  certainly sounds good. But we all know there is no such thing as free shipping.
    What 1800Flowers.com is billing as "shipping" for florist delivered items is actually a service charge they keep. Today (11-23-07) their web site shows that service charge at $13.99. According to their contract with florists, the price a consumer pays for a florist-delivered arrangement includes s $7.99 delivery fee. It should be pointed out that this figure is under what most florist charge for delivery in greater Boston. In fact 1800flowers pay the florist less then $7.99 because they subtract a percent out as a commission on the order. That means, for a $49.99 arrangement, $7.99 goes toward delivery, and $42 is for the flowers. Not figuring in the decrease due to commission given back to 800 flowers. As a result of this practice many florists hear consumers complain that “My arrangement was smaller then I expected.”  
     Your local florist does have your best interest in mind and that is why over a 100 of us have sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking them to stop the unethical advertising by 800 flowers. The complaint can be viewed at Florists Urge FTC to Investigate 1800Flowers.com "Free Shipping". 1-800-Flowers.com is not the only online order broker to try the free delivery deception. Further information and reading can be done at the Florist Detective  

Professional florists for your party

In the November issue of USA Weekend magazine, Linnea Johanson author of “perfect Parties Tips and Advice from a New York Party Planner” offered the following “tip” for holiday parties.  

"Flower arrangements can be a total rip-off," (Linnea) Johansson says


I find this comment from a professional party planner disturbing. Surely Ms. Johanson could make suggestions with out insulting a whole industry. Being so sour really takes away from her image as a party expert. When ever I hear ads or individuals speaking negatively it turns me off to what they are saying.
     It is hardly the goal of professional florists to rip off consumers. The main stay of our industry is to have happy and repeat customers. Florists offer years of professional service and skills to make your party perfect for what ever level of services you need from picking up a few stems of flowers in our retail stores to small parties, large events and weddings flowers. Florists can assist to make your event complete success.
     
 Here are some tips for holiday decorating.

You can read more on this issue from an other florist  and another . Here is one more.
 

 

 

Store improvement

Central Square Florist is pleased to share that we will be replacing our entire lighting fixtures in our florist. We hope to have this complete by the end of the year. Energy Analyst Alan Marrocco from DMJM Harris provided the lighting plan. Together with NSTAR Electric’s small business solution there will be $5,000 spent on the upgrade.The store will be enhanced with appealing lighting fixtures that are energy efficient to run.

The colors of autumn!

After a mild start to the fall season, there is a chill in the air and the days are getting shorter. Beautiful fall days are here in Boston. It's the perfect time to indulge in glorious autumn colored flowers for your self, or give someone a wonderful seasonal gift of fresh flowers. Central Square Florist is featuring orange gerbera daisies, birds of paradise,alstromeria and Asiatic lilies. Yellow oncidium orchids,solidago,sunflowers,bronze daisy mums and red rovers add to the autumn color palette. Enjoy the season with these beautiful floral offerings!

Flowers to Celebrate CCTV

 

CCTV's BBQ-- A City Celebration!

 

Central Square Florist is pleased to once again sponsor CCTV's annual celebration. This year, as CCTV’s BBQ celebrates the unique cultural and intellectual spirit that characterizes each neighborhood across the city of Cambridge, the Leading Role Award will recognize individuals from each corner of the city who have worked tirelessly behind-the-scenes on behalf of the community. This year’s honorees include: Louis DePasquale, Assistant City Manager for Fiscal Affairs, Ardeene Goodridge, Youth Advocate & Peace Commissioner, Joe Petner, Former Principal of the Haggerty School, Manny Rogers, Funeral Director of Rogers Funeral Home, and Deborah Weaver, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Girls LEAP.

Join us as we celebrate all that these individuals have done for the Cambridge community at CCTV’s BBQ on Thursday, September 27th at 5:30 p.m. Buy your ticket today at CCTV or online.