Florists around the country are scrambling as they deal with a flood of delivery orders and Mother’s Day 2012 preparations. As the most popular day for floral retail sales, even outweighing sales from Valentine’s Day, finding flowers for Morther’s Day at a reasonable price may prove challenging for some consumers with a tapped-out savings account.
Despite tight budgets this year, consumers are expected to spend an average of $152.52 on moms, an increase over the $140.73 spent on average in 2011, according to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2012 Mother’s Day Consumer Spending Survey.
The survey confirmed that the leading item being purchased to make mom feel special are flowers, with 66.4 percent of Americans planning for this purchase.
With designer floral arrangements being advertised by big-name wire services at upwards of $50 (not including additional deliver fees and other tacked-on charges), you’ll need the inside scoop on how to treat mom on her special day without sacrificing the rent.
Mother’s Day Flowers for Less
To get a hold of affordable Mother’s Day flowers, you’ll have to get creative. Here are a few confirmed tricks to surprise the woman in your life with gorgeous blooms at a practical price.
1. Scavenge Daily Deal Websites
The daily deal boom from websites like Groupon, LivingSocial and AmazonLocal Deals are all about bringing you the best value for your buck. Like with any big holiday, these sites partner with major wire delivery services like Teleflora, FTD and ProFlowers with significant discounts.
Today, for example, I received an AmazonLocal deal to spend $20 on a $40 voucher for Mother’s Day flowers. Similar offers have been running on daily deal websites since last week and are still going strong. As long as you carefully read the terms and conditions of the offer, you can possibly come out as a deal-hunting champ.
2. Name Your Price
If you’d rather speak to the florist in-person to design your floral vision, visiting a local florist is a good option. However, it’ll be easier to save money by naming your price at the service counter, rather than asking for a specific flower type.
By asking your florist “What can I get with $20?” rather than “How much are two dozen red roses?” you’ll eliminate the back and forth guesswork as to what you can afford, and your florist has the ability to craft a unique bouquet to meet your price point (rather than you trying to meet theirs).
3. Special Delivery by… You!
If the person you’re sending flowers to is fairly close-by, you can save about $20 just by choosing to carry out your arrangement or bouquet, instead of having the florist deliver the flowers to the recipient.
You’ve now saved some spending money to carry you past Mother’s Day and personally hand-delivering flowers gives you the opportunity to see their surprise and delight.
5. Shop Farmer’s Markets
The fact that Mother’s Day 2012 — and Mother’s Day in general — always falls on a Sunday, is an added bonus for those trying to stay on budget. If your Mother’s Day itinerary grants you the opportunity to make a quick morning trip to your neighborhood farmer’s market, you can grab fresh flowers for a fraction of what you’d find at a wire service.
This route presents a triple bonus as your mom gets a beautiful bouquet, you’ve saved easily 50 percent or more on Mother’s Day flowers and you’ve done your part to help boost the local economy.
6. Choose a Colorful Mixed Bouquet
Unlike the stiff expectations for red, long-stemmed roses as Valentine’s Day flowers, there is no Mother’s Day-specific flower type or arrangement. Since Mother’s Day 2012 falls in the middle of spring, any flower or mixed bouquet that is vibrant does the trick. Also, there is no restriction as to how flowers are presented — vases, baskets or simple paper wrapping are all fair game for this day of recognition.
Finding Flowers for Mother’s Day
Even if Mother’s Day 2012 is quickly approaching this weekend, there is still time to buy flowers for Mother’s Day without spending extra on overpriced flowers or expedited orders. Whether you take on one of the suggestions or mix and match them, these easy tips take minimal planning to help you treat mom to a day she deserves.
