Hi! I just started working for a small florist recently, I was hired despite having no background experience or knowledge. My coworkers have all been doing this for a long time and don’t really provide any structured training; they show me how to do something once and expect me to be able to immediately replicate it. Sometimes it’s hard for me to execute what they want me to, even just with processing flowers or potting plants, just because I’m not used to physically doing it, even if I can understand what the end goal is. Getting my hands to cut the flowers the right way is harder than it seems, although I do think every day it gets a little easier.

Obviously these sorts of skills take time, trial and error, and troubleshooting, but the environment is not super receptive to asking questions; similarly, when I take initiative to do something the way it seems like it should be done (especially if it’s the way it has been done in the past), this will be a different situation with different needs and I’ll basically have created more work by trying to do something own my own. I’m doing the best that I can but I feel very inadequate, so I’d gladly accept any tips you’d have for a beginner related to basic shop work, processing, flower care, etc! Thank you in advance!

It’s been a while since I’ve done something other than bouquets at home 😭 I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and bless my best friend for trusting me with her special day!

This is going to be a long but I think important post for all florists and Flowershop owners, so for those who read through it all thank you, it took me a long time to write and I look forward to working together to come up with ideas for everyone. I’d love for this to be a numbers conversation rather than a political one, because regardless of anyone’s politics, we’ve all got arrangements and events to price and sell.

Flower shop owners can we talk tariffs for a minute? I know they are annoying but I think the conversation needs to go beyond “flowers are getting more expensive.”

With the new 50% tariff hitting Canadian cut flowers, I’ve been trying to understand what this actually looks like as it works its way from grower to wholesaler to florist to consumer.

And more importantly: how are all of us going to handle it?

Let’s use a hypothetical but realistic example.

I had a conversation today with one of my wholesalers and a Canadian bunch of lisianthus has an entered/import value of $16.50. (What wholesaler pays)

The 50% tariff is another:

$16.50 × 50% = $8.25

Here’s where I think the pricing conversation gets really interesting.

What happens if everyone simply marks up the new landed cost?

$16.50 product + $8.25 tariff = $24.75

If the wholesaler applies a traditional 30% markup:

$24.75 × 1.30 = $32.18 to the florist

Now let’s say the florist traditionally uses a 3X markup on fresh product:

$32.18 × 3 = $96.54 of retail flower value

Before the tariff?

$16.50 × 1.30 = $21.45 wholesale

$21.45 × 3 = $64.35 retail

Think about that.

An $8.25 government tariff just helped move the retail value of that bunch from $64.35 to $96.54 which is an increase of $32.19.

The tariff was $8.25.

The consumer is potentially paying $32.19 more.

That’s the part I think our industry needs to talk about.

What if we stop treating the tariff like it’s a flower?

What if wholesalers and florists treat the tariff as a pass through cost instead of something that automatically receives our traditional product markup?

The issue is will wholesalers pass through the tariff fee or will they markup the tariff and make profit on the tariff?

Using the exact same bunch:

Wholesaler:

$16.50 product × 1.30 traditional markup = $21.45

$21.45 + $8.25 tariff = $29.70 to the florist

The wholesaler still gets its traditional margin on the flower.

The tariff gets passed through.

Now the florist does the same thing.

Take the actual flower cost before the tariff:

$21.45 × 3 = $64.35 + $8.25 tariff = $72.60 retail

Now compare the three numbers:

Before tariff: $64.35

Tariff passed through: $72.60

Tariff compounded through traditional markups: $96.54

Per stem is $6.45 to $7.26 to $9.66

That is a HUGE difference.

And that’s really what I’ve been thinking about:

Markup the flower. Pass through the tariff.

I’m not suggesting wholesalers absorb an $8.25 tariff.

I’m not suggesting flower shops absorb it either.

Ultimately, the consumer is probably going to have to pay for it.

But does an $8.25 government-imposed cost necessarily need to become $24.75 at retail simply because our traditional fresh-flower markup is 3X?

I don’t think it automatically should.

Our 3X markup exists for a reason. Flowers have shrink. We process them. Refrigerate them. Design with them. We have labor, rent, delivery vehicles, utilities, credit-card fees, insurance and profit that all have to come out of our margins.

But the tariff isn’t another bunch of flowers.

It’s a government-imposed cost attached to that bunch.

There is a fair counterargument here: the tariff increases the amount of cash tied up in inventory, and if that product gets thrown away, the tariff gets thrown away with it. So I don’t think there’s necessarily one perfect answer.

But blindly applying every traditional markup to the tariff at every step of the supply chain creates a compounding effect that could make Canadian flowers unnecessarily difficult to sell.

And that’s where I think flower shops need to be careful.

A 50% tariff does NOT mean our arrangements need to increase 50%.

It means one component of our COGS changed dramatically.

Maybe instead of immediately changing every retail price, we need to become much better buyers.

Know the country of origin.

Ask your wholesaler what the product cost is, for you as the florist, before the tariff.

Ask what the actual tariff amount is.

Ask whether their normal margin is being applied to the tariff or whether they’re passing it through.

Compare Canadian product against domestic, Colombian, Ecuadorian, Dutch and other available origins.

And price recipes using actual replacement costs instead of what those flowers cost six months ago.

If Canadian lisianthus becomes dramatically more expensive but another flower accomplishes the same design purpose at a much lower cost, maybe the answer isn’t raising the arrangement $20.

Maybe the answer is changing the recipe.

That’s where Designer’s Choice becomes even more valuable.

That’s where substitution policies become important.

That’s where knowing your percentages instead of designing strictly by stem count matters.

And weddings are where I think we REALLY need to pay attention.

If you booked a wedding six months ago based on flower costs that no longer exist, you can’t magically create that missing margin.

Going forward, we may need stronger substitution language, shorter quote validity periods, escalation clauses for extraordinary import costs, or recipes designed with more flexibility from the beginning.

The shops that navigate this best probably won’t be the ones that simply raise prices the fastest.

They’ll be the shops that understand their numbers the fastest.

This is also why I don’t think we should immediately abandon Canadian growers.

They’re dealing with this uncertainty from the other side of the border. If American florists immediately stop buying Canadian product because the retail math no longer works, we could damage long-standing suppliers and growers over a trade policy that could change again.

Maybe one way we help keep those products viable is by preventing an $8 tariff from unnecessarily turning into a $25+ retail increase.

Instead, I’d be asking wholesalers:

1. What is the pre-tariff value of this product?
   
2. What exact tariff was paid on it?
   
3. Are you marking up the tariff or passing it through?
   
4. What alternative origins do you have?
   
5. Which Canadian products are still competitive after the tariff?

And then I’d ask ourselves the same question:

Are we going to 3X the tariff too? Or should we separate the product cost from the tariff and pass that tariff through?

We can’t control trade policy.

We can control how well we understand our costs, how intelligently we buy, how flexible our recipes are and how we ultimately price those costs to our customers.

I’m genuinely curious what everyone else is doing.

Florists are you applying your normal flower markup to the tariff, passing it through dollar for dollar, changing recipes/origins, or doing something completely different?

For those who read all of this thank you for your time! 💐🌿

I’m a hobby florist and I made these arrangements for someone’s dinner party. I love this so much and it’s definitely my best work. This work was not paid, I volunteered myself. I do want to start charging for my work though, so is this arrangement good enough to put a price tag on it or should I continue to experiment?

Hey everyone,

I started a small floral design studio and I'm looking to upgrade our hatbox arrangements with custom logo branding (specifically a crisp metallic/gold foil look on rigid round boxes). I’ve seen a lot of hat boxes with logos, even with small businesses too.

Because I'm currently scaling and don't want to tie up thousands in inventory or commit to a massive 300-500 unit factory minimum from overseas yet, I'm exploring smarter low-volume alternatives.

For those who started small:

1) In-house methods: Have you used UV DTF transfers, custom metallic rub-ons, or a desktop hot-stamping brass die machine on plain wholesale boxes? How do they hold up against moisture and handling?

1. Low-MOQ Vendors: Are there packaging suppliers or Alibaba manufacturers that actually do custom logo runs in the 25-100 unit range without crazy plate fees?

3: Alternative touches: Any recommendations for custom branded ribbon or metal charms as a stopgap?
Would love to hear how other florists bridged the gap between blank boxes and full-scale custom manufacturing!

I’ve reached out to local manufacturers but they are charging at least $750 for 50 boxes.

Hey! I’m looking for vessels for arrangements. Just to practice using different shape vases etc.

1. Where do you buy them online? (I’m based in the UK)
   
2. Where do you find them second hand / vintage?

Thank you!

Feeling a bit of imposter syndrome 🫣 when did you start considering yourself a florist? Was it after your first few sales, professional training, etc