19.1.10

Flower retailing 2010




Sometimes on a rainy Sunday afternoon you might catch an old futuristic film off of the 1950's. Everybody flying about in spaceships and eating pills instead of actual food, you know the thing. Those films never feature flower shops, but if they did they would look like our local Marks and Sparks.
Evidently the retailing giant has decided we should all buy our flowers in sealed packages. If it works for hosiery.....

"Our new fresh flower packaging seals the flowers in their own protective atmosphere until you get them home....bloomin' marvellous!"

Bloomin' marvellous? shoot the copywriter now.

I don't understand, I thought flower buying was supposed to be a sensory experience, whether you choose a florist, supermarket or garage forecourt, or have i been doing it wrong? Will my customers demand their tussie-mussies in hermetically sealed packets? Don't even dare.

I did enjoy whipping out my camera and snapping the stand in situ, i felt like Donal Macintyre (pre Dancing on Ice) or that man who claimed Hot Dogs were vegetarian as they don't actually contain anything that can be called Meat. The food technologist was brilliant, I like a man in a lab coat.
Thoughts please....on the flowers not my fetish for lab coats.

18 comments:

{Love, Love, Love} said...

It does look a bit naff and looks more 'Asda' than 'Your M&S' I must say! x

KELLY said...

don't they need water??!

bad move m&s. good undercover work miss p...did you wear a disguise?

Mrs B said...

Oh no no no no noooooooooh! How ghastly. Got to stop off at my localish m&s en route to b'day dinner tonight. Will see if the flowers 'a la funeral flowers in cellophane' have made it oop north. Will report back xxxx ps. Do u think some people will think they are guaranteed to live for 8 days if u leave them in their packaging?.... I do hope so ...although that is a cruel thing to wish upon a flower....even an orange ecuadorian rose ; )

~My Fleur Journey~ said...

Totally ridiculous, you can see the roses being crushed in the plastic bags!! I wonder who is the smartie who come up with this brilliant idea and the genius who approved it. N so not environmentally friendly!

Miss Pickering said...

I'm glad it's not just me. There is no water in the packet. The stand however is near to the door and it;s heaters, which means they are sweating, which means that their special packaging doesn't work as well. I can't wait to see what they look like tomorrow, and how many have sold....I shall wear Mr F's Fez as a disguise.
Very curious to know if they are in anyother stores/ countries.

Anna Wilson-Patterson said...

Looking on the bright side, it makes your emporium a fabulous antidote to such nonsense. A place for people confronted by bland, to smile, smell and touch.
I humbly suggest you fetish up a vintage swan and dress the hound in feathers.

Anonymous said...

Extremely scary stuff --- it does look like something from the twilight zone

Mrs B said...

Not made an appearance locally up here but I've only been to a little store. The more I think about it, the more questions I need answering. Are they packaged here or do the bags start off in South America and it's just a ploy to cut out one stage of processing. Gonna get my Mum to email Mr M&S...she has time on her hands !xxx

Darcy said...

Just noticed the 'Lily pollen is harmful to pets' on the bag, I wonder if the hound will have to take early retirement on health grounds due to 'Lily Exposure'!?!

Simon said...

I think it's very clever, you'd be much more likely to impulse-buy them if you know you can carry them easily and get them home in one piece.

Oh My! Floral said...

My jaw was on the ground before I even read your entry. WHAT??

I can't even begin...it just doesn't make sense. Cut, crammed and packaged, wrapped, stapled, stamped, hung and waiting for someone who is rushing to get a last minute bottle of wine, ready made dinner and whatever else is instant and on the way to the check out. gross.

justmakinacard said...

TACKY, that's my opinion.

A little posy from a reputable florists (like your good self)says far more and probably for the same price.

Anonymous said...

Then again, probably not for the same price.

Miss Pickering said...

No not for the same price, nor the same roses.

Miss Pickering said...

Forgot to say, they have sold some,although people do look a bit quizzical at them. I stood near them for 10minutes yesterday.Thanks to Simon for offering up his opinion, I appreciate a man's perspective.

Darcy said...

I think they are perfect for male purchasers (no offence to men intended)who if like my husband, loves to buy me flowers, but has no idea what to choose and confesses to feeling like a right birk in the checkout queue holding them, these can be disguised in the basket with all the other packets and tucked into a carrier bag so he can walk back to the car without blushing! Although I currently adore the fact that he goes through a process which he finds so loathsome just to show he loves me.. ahhh...

Mo said...

Well I did say 'a small posy' lol

Mother Hen said...

May it be noted here that I would not wish anyone to bring me flowers in this guise, it makes the garage forecourt ones look tasteful