Any Florists out there?

[WeluvDisney2]

I am coming to a crossroads in my life. I just finished 18 months of treatments for breast cancer, and my youngest son is starting kindergarten in the fall. I am going to be 36 this year, and I have been home raising kids for the past 15 years.
It is time for me to start a new career. I have always had an interest in becoming a florist. Here is my question... If you are a florist how did you get started? What type of training did you have? How do I go about finding a job in the floral industry?
Thanks for your help!

 

[juligrl]

Not a florist so I can't help, but have you tried looking in your help wanted ads for a florist who wants help and is looking to train? I know there is currently an florist in my area who is looking to take on somebody part-time to train.

 

[WeluvDisney2]

Thanks Juligrl, I will keep my eyes open. It would be great if someone is willing to train. I just didn't know if there were certain classes that I should take to make myself more appealing to a florist looking for help.

 

[juligrl]

I know some of our community colleges offer a non-credit floral design class. Might be worth checking into something like that. I also think a local crafts store occassionally offers an introductory floral design class. Hope you can find something!

 

[WeluvDisney2]

Thanks for the great ideas juligrl!

 

[OneThingRemains]

If your major grocery chains have full service floral departments, that might be your best bet. Thats where I started (and still am). They're probably going to be the most willing to train someone without experience (or at least have the most openings). Summer is usually a slow season for florists though (at least around here), so you may not find a ton of places hiring until later in the summer when they need to train people for homecomings and thanksgiving, christmas, etc.

 

[WeluvDisney2]

If your major grocery chains have full service floral departments, that might be your best bet. Thats where I started (and still am). They're probably going to be the most willing to train someone without experience (or at least have the most openings). Summer is usually a slow season for florists though (at least around here), so you may not find a ton of places hiring until later in the summer when they need to train people for homecomings and thanksgiving, christmas, etc.

How long have you been at your job? Do you enjoy it? What do your duties include? I hope you don't mind me asking so many questions. Thanks!

 

[annegal]

This is a second career for me after "retiring" from doing drafting for many years.

I took 2 series "Fun" class at the local University night division for Floral Design. I knew someone who owned a shop & they started me in the store in phone sales and I wormed my way into the design room!

Get some books,,,,you need to know the name of lots of flowers, fillers and greens and plants-also a knowlege of the color wheel and design

Warning,,,the pay is not great with no benefits-unless you work for a Grocery chain that has benefits, You are on your feet all dat long and there is lifting involved-carrying buckets of water, carrying heavy funeral sprays etc.

But I love it.....no day is the same...some days are very, very busy...others just trying to find something to do.

Also pretty easy to work part time....lot of smaller shops might just need someone 6 hours a day..or just 3 days a week etc.

Duties....we all have to be "backup" to answer the phone and take an order-on the computer

I work in a large shop where someone else cuts and puts the new flowers in buckets of water-in stores and smaller shops the designers do this-its wet and messy and done 2 times a week

Twice a week or so, all the flowers are rotated.-we have 3 storage coolers-one just for lilies!..coolers swept and cleaned of "bad" flowers

Daily we do a visual check of the customer walk in cooler-older arrangemnts taken out, or freshened, add water, clean shelves etc

Have to be familiar with the prices of the containers and the price of each "stem" or flower, so I use the correct amount of flowers in a $40 vase or a $75 vase arrangement

 

[OneThingRemains]

I've been doing it on and off for about 5 years. I've moved around a bit, but now that I'm back home I went back to the job. So yes, I enjoy it. It does get a bit tedious at times, and there are things that make you want to tear your hair out. Like when you work an 8 hour shift and do nothing but make wrist corsages. Or when people want arrangements with colors that you know won't work, but they won't listen to your suggestions so you just have to suck it up and make it look the best you can.

The duties are pretty varied. Last time I worked I think I checked all the watering and groomed any plants that needed it, made a few arrangements, set up some backings for wrist corsages, recut a couple buckets of bunches, and groomed some roses. Then theres always the answering phones/wrapping flowers/taking orders/blowing up ballooons part that comes with every day. Other random duties we have are making balloon weights, organization, plant decorating, container cleaning, pricing, and a whole slew of other things.

It might depend on how the shop you get a job at is set up though. If its a high volume florist, they may have people who strictly do designing or flower care in the back with little to no customer interaction, and some who strictly do balloons and customer service stuff.

 

[WeluvDisney2]

annegal, when you took the courses was it just for fun or did you know that you would be working for your friend? How long were the courses that you took?

 

[annegal]

OneThingRemains....I forgot the dreaded CORSAGES!!!

We have 2 proms on Mother's Day weekend!!!!

Right now we have a box of about 100 corsage ":setups" with silk leaves and ribbon-all we do is add the fresh sweethearts and greens and filler-still a lot of work.Corsage work is my least fave.

 

[WeluvDisney2]

OneThingRemains, We do have a floral department at our local Stop & Shop, but it never seems really busy. Is your florist shop open the same hours as your store? What made you decide to take the job?
Thank you guys for your honest and very informative input!

 

[annegal]

It was "for fun"...I had another job and take lots of fun classes-like stained glass at the University.

I really never dreamed of doing it for a full time job.

We have 4 full time designers and a couple bosses are former designers who pitch in. We do a lot of Corporate work (like when someone at the company gets sick, has a baby or has a relative that died -we have their accounts- I live in a prosperous area of Louisiana-Offshore Oil Drilling companies galore)and maybe 2 weddings a month(one head designer does all the wedding work)

There are maybe 2 other shops almost our size and lots of smaller 2 or 3 person shops around.

 

[OneThingRemains]

OneThingRemains, We do have a floral department at our local Stop & Shop, but it never seems really busy. Is your florist shop open the same hours as your store? What made you decide to take the job?
Thank you guys for your honest and very informative input!

The store its in is 24 hours. We're usually open from 8-6 or 7 on weekdays during slow times. During holidays or busy times, we're usually open from 8-9 or 10.

Honestly, I was just looking for a job. I started out cashiering and doing floral. I ended up HATING cashiering, so decided to just work floral.


annegal: TWO proms on Mother's day weekend? I thought we had it extra bad this year since we have one prom that weekend (usually they're not till the week after). Hopefully it'll be better than the sweetest day dance that always corresponds with valentines day though. Blech.

 

[BuckyFan04]

If your major grocery chains have full service floral departments, that might be your best bet. Thats where I started (and still am). They're probably going to be the most willing to train someone without experience (or at least have the most openings). Summer is usually a slow season for florists though (at least around here), so you may not find a ton of places hiring until later in the summer when they need to train people for homecomings and thanksgiving, christmas, etc.

I think this is a good idea. My mom worked at a grocery store floral department for a couple of years, and she learned a lot. She said Mother's Day and Valentine's Day were always the busiest times of year.

She learned how to properly take care of flowers and other plants, how to make corsages, how to make nice flower arrangements, etc. She also had to blow up helium balloons.

 

[WeluvDisney2]

Which grocery chains do you have in WI? It really does sound like a good place to start.
BuckyFan04, I love your Steve Irwin tribute.

 

[BuckyFan04]

Which grocery chains do you have in WI? It really does sound like a good place to start.
BuckyFan04, I love your Steve Irwin tribute.

Thank you.

In my area the main chains we have are Sentry Foods (where my mom worked), Pick 'N Save, Piggly Wiggly, Aldi, and Jewel-Osco.

I hope you find something that works out for you.

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

I work part time for a florist. I do a little of everything. The garden shop outside is my favorite, I love watering and working with the plants. We wrap, take orders, deliver, maintain the plants and flowers. I haven't made any flower arrangements yet, though I made some plant gardens in containers, I am learning alot. We plant gardens for people and businesses. There is alot to learn and do.

We also sell dog and cat foods and supplies, Wellness and Wysong, and the better dog foods and stuff. The owner brings her dog in to work everyday, she is the mascott ? for the pet center. She is a rescue from the humane society so we are involved with that as well.

Its a fun place to work. I do this in between my school bus driving.

Its a fun part time job.

 

[mla2177]

I'm so glad to read this thread too. I took two years of floral design as an elective in High School and loved it. I never pursuded it any further, because there wasn't a lot of $$ in it unless you had your own business. I am now a SAHM, and I would love to do it again. How much I make isn't as important as it used to be, I just want to be home with my kids when they get home from school. Do a lot of shops do part time employment?

 

[annegal]

I just want to be home with my kids when they get home from school. Do a lot of shops do part time employment?

One of our designers is a single Mom and works 9-3 daily. During holidays her relatives help with the kids.

I also know of shops who only have someone work 2 days a week-like on the days the flowers arrive-cutting them and putting in water buckets is a big chore...also sterilizing the old buckets-we have a high school girl in daily doing this "glamorous" job.