Delivery & Set-up - Real Flower Business

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A post shared by Alison Ellis | Real Flower Business | Florist Education (@realflowerbusiness)

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Florists are always looking for hacks and tips for safe floral delivery.

There are a lot of specialized delivery units you can invest in, but check out this super simply and free delivery system I use for weddings.

I’ve had more than a few vases tip over in my van over the years, but this easy, free, reusable, recyclable delivery system is clutch!

I hope you dig today’s super quick tip.

With love from me to you,

Alison Ellis

P.S. Yes those are little cocktail vases in the background filled with the side shoots of my dusty miller that I could not use in bouquets and centerpieces! Doesn’t everyone do that?

Additional Resources:

What should florists charge for delivery & set-up?

As the creator of Flower Math, The Florist’s Guide To Pricing & Profitability, this is one the questions I hear often.

Click below to watch: Price Talk Live! A replay from my Facebook group On Delivery & Set-up Fees!

Now, on weddings and events you might call it “delivery” or “day of labor” or even a “set-up fee”…..

I call it the “Delivery & Set-up fee” and it includes my time from the minute I start to load my van to the minute I’m done unloading it after an event.

Your time is valuable and you should be paid for delivery and set-up in addition to what you charge for flowers, supplies and your design fee!

What should florists consider when setting a delivery fee?

A delivery fee can be:

related to the radius from your flower shop
a percentage of the total order
a starting rate of X with a mileage fee on top
based on the complexity of the delivery and set up

Delivery is more of a “choose your own adventure” aspect of pricing in your business. Meaning, you have to decide what works for you.

For example:

Delivery starts at $150
We don’t leave the door for less than $500 on a Saturday
We charge 15% of the total order
How much does it cost per vehicle, per employee, per hour?
Add a PITA charge=pain in the *ss (you know what!) for holidays, inconvenient locations & overall hassle-factors

People expect to pay for delivery & installation (or set-up).

A delivery fee is different from a design fee.

The design fee is what you charge per design–it pays for your time and expertise in floristry. If you’re not sure what a design fee is, I walk you through it in Flower Math!

Delivery fee pays for your vehicles, labor on site, time spent waiting.

I used to be really nervous to increase my delivery fee. It took me years to realize what I needed to take into account to make it worth my while to deliver.

Click below to watch: Price Talk Live! A replay from my Facebook group On Delivery & Set-up Fees!

In this video I’m fresh off the heels of a Chapel Designer Workshop where I taught at Hope Flower Farm in May. Going to live workshops is invigorating and can leave me vibing for weeks. Connecting with people who share our passion is an amazing gift.

I share a bit about who was at Hope and what we did there in this live chat, but you can skip ahead to the delivery & set-up tips if you fast forward to 4:25 minutes in!

To Sum It Up

I charge based on what it costs to “do this job”….

I calculate this on a per hour basis and also consider the mileage, number of helpers, number of vehicles, whether I have to climb a ladder and whether I have to come back or stay on call to move things between the ceremony & reception.

My delivery fee isn’t related to how much my client spends, it’s based on how much I need to make that entire day work seamlessly so that I meet their expectations and also cover the time I invest.

The bigger the event, the bigger the delivery and set up fee.

Consider the following when determining your delivery rate:

Some florists charge 10-20% of the total order
Breakdown is additional (if it’s another trip, that’s separate!)
Administration fees (to coordinate delivery with other vendors, etc.)
Conceptualization fees (it takes time to make a set-up plan sometimes)
Give-up-my-Saturday fee
Per van cost
Per employee/hour
What’s your “replace me fee” (if you’re sick or unable to go to the wedding, what will that cost you?)

Delivery may sound simple, but theres a level of care, expertise and professionalism that comes with this part of the job.

Making money in your business should not be a mystery. Florists must have clarity on pricing in every aspect of their business.

Move forward pricing well, making a profit, and give yourself a pay increase with a small bump in your delivery fee.

Keep doing beautiful work, floralpreneur®!

And, by the way, as I mentioned in the video, you can get the entire Flower Math course today to make sure you’re maximizing your profit margin or see a full list of my courses for florists HERE!

Don’t hesitate to be in touch with any question for me.

With love from me to you,

Alison Ellis

Video notes:

Click here to join me in my Facebook group for future livestreams!

The teacher lineup at Hope included: Holly Chapple, Gregor Lersch, Hitomi Gilliam, Francoise Weeks, Passionflower Sue (Susan McLeary), and I was invited to speak about business (specifically pricing & website stuff!).

It was a honor to be on the roster with these legends and incredible floral pros.

Learn More About Alison Here.

Pricing Questions Answered Bonus 1