I was at the local HD yesterday afternoon and asked if they were going to mark down the orchids without blooms as they usually do. Well, no more marking them down. They now say the venders will give them credit for the dead and bloomed out plants. They didn't even mark down the 1/2 dead flowers in the garden section.
Yeah, there's a name for this sort of contract but I forget what it is. The wholesaler 'eats' the plant. Nobody actually counts it as a 'sale' until the customer can't return it for store credit... Makes you wonder about the statistics that say orchids are the #2 flowering plant in terms of sales, doesn't it? Apropos of nothing I understand all the stats saying internet advertising is on the rise doesn't take into account all the people paid to click on paid advertiser's links. It's all smoke and mirrors. Or as Twain said, 'There are lies, there are damn lies and then there are statistics.'
Keep yer head down.
K Barrett
I think it's a consignment agreement. And there is some kind of electronic system to keep track of how many plants are sold.
A new (enormous!) HD just opened minutes from us. The one we normally frequented regularly marks down its out of bloom plants. We bought several Vandas there about a year ago. We'll see about the new place. I've actually had some luck with HD plants on occasion.
Diana
I hope the Lowe's and HDs don't do that here because it's my only access to orchids. Buying online + shipping charges is a little much for retired people. Wally World only has them once or twice a year.
No local society? Join the club, buy raffle tickets, see if you win any? I usuallly do the 'Show and Tell' table at my society and I can't tell you how many blooming orchids I hold up and discuss that were raffle table plants. There's a wide variety of stuff there, too. The speaker usually provides a raffle table of the orchids they speak about, so you get a chance at a bunch of neat stuff. So the financial outlay would be the club's dues (~$20), and the cost of raffle tickets (~$1 ea). Average that over a year, see if you come out ahead waiting for Wally World or going to a club.
Just a thought.
K Barrett
yeah, my little local thing is blue jeans and t shirts (although i think i'm probably the only one so casual as to have plants in starbuck's cups), and we've picked up a few refugees from the local big formal society who were feeling overly-- formalized.
we've already done one plant swap and i suspect there will be more; despite going there with the intent to get *rid* of plants, i somehow ended up with two free keiki's from another member's big plants. - sigh-
--j_a
The big boxes typically negotiate deals where they don't even pay for the plant until it crosses their scanners while being sold. [And the grower gets zinged if the plant re-crosses the scanners, being returned. That part of the problem is negligible at big box volume, but there are a small number of people who actually hold onto their receipts and thoroughly abuse that one-year guarantee.] In general, what doesn't sell isn't worth being picked up by the grower to attempt to rescusitate, but not getting them back leaves the door wide open for pilferage. I suspect the growers supplying your local HD have decided to find out for themselves how many of their plants are just "not selling" and how many are walking out the back door. Kenni
I was at a local HD today to get parts for the toilet repair. I stopped by the garden section (like a moth to the light).
They had three fresh carts of phals, onc sweet sugar, and dendrobs. 6 inch pot for 19.95. SAD looking plants from Florida. I wanted to make a sign and tell the customers to drive out and see Al. At the same price they would get something happy and healthy.
I'm sure the same is true in your area.
Good growing, Gene
Ah, yes. The wenches! You *do* realize that anyone coming into this board for the first time will think we are all completely insane, correct?
But then, who's to argue?
Diana
But it is also proof of EXACTLY how long this core has held up. If there were no inside jokes - - there would be no long timers.
You're kidding right? That's like 500 miles from where I live. :-O
500 miles is a long drive for us. :-)
Those questions about "Al" are important ones; who what and where. I am still looking for the answers and "Al" is approaching 50. For a while there, I did think I had a handle on *where* he was, but that turned out to be erroneous.
I used to think that the size of the greenhouse and the variety of plants, their prices, sizes, etc, were viewed favorably in an inverse proportion to the distance and time driven to get here. I usually ask people where they have come from, especially when they remark on how far they have come. Often, it seems those who live nearby, within 45 minutes or so, believe they have had a long drive and wonder disappointedly why don't see any large white Phals like they saw at Home Depot. On the other side of the spectrum are the people who show up from New York or Tennessee and spend several hours combing through things and leave with a back seat full of plants telling me they "enjoyed the drive" and repeating an often heard criticism "I didn't see most of this stuff on the online catalog."
But, I do agree with you about those 500 miles; too far. Personally I wouldn't drive more than about half an hour to see an orchid greenhouse as big as the one I have in my own backyard.
Wherever thou doth find a wench capable of hoisting a 600 pound greenhouse heater 16 feet into the air there too shall I be.
I think Gene was making a comparison to his situation, and thinking there must be some *real* orchid sellers in your area too.......The farthest we've driven for orchids is about 150 miles, from home to the Redland Festival. Not to be missed if you're ever in Homestead in May. It's like orchid Nirvana!
Diana
Congrats on retirement! I'm envious!
K
Tell you what, Kath - being retired, I now wonder how I ever had time to work!
Diana ;oD
Ah, shaddup! *LOL* I got 13 more years hard labor.
KGee...I forgot about this email chain.
First of all....yes, I do live about 25 miles from Al and visit out there whenever I am bored with my collection or when he says he has something interesting in flower. Even though I don't have any room and am faced with a disaster in 6 weeks when stuff comes into the house, I still find something to bring home with me.
Second, the light bulb just went on here...Duh....All along I though Al was short for Alan or Albert and here it's short for Alien!
Seriously, where ever you live....you should occasionally visit a REAL orchid greenhouse in your area even if it's just to see how real plants look. I know what you mean about the guy who follows you around and makes you feel like you're wasting his time. There is a grower that I visited recently for the second time who seemed really wierded out that I wanted to just explore and see what was available in his (very pitiful) collection. He stood there with and stared at me the whole time. Not chatting or offering any conversation. I won't go back there again.
On the other hand when I travel I do make a point to visit growers in the town I'm visiting on business or vacation. I have a small colapsible carryon bag that I take with me for plants to come home. No grower has everything in his/her inventory online. Those wierd and in small quantity plants are real treasures to find at these places.
Good growing, Gene
Years ago John traveled for/with IBM. Suit - White Shirt- Tie - Uptight etc. We were in Chicago - Great Orchid Territory - We were spoiled. But when he had to go to CA he took his "totes" zip carry on. One time he came back with is 2 suiter (hard sided Samsonite) checked and the carry on bulging. Seems he had packed what clothing he could in the totes and packed the rest around the great finds from one of the Paph houses in Malibu. Yes, his suit was rolled up and stuffed in the "totes bag."
You have to be an Orchidholic to understand the reasoning. No one in his office did. SuE
I may start checking online Orchid sellers and see what's involved in purchasing some plants that way. But here again, this is a hobby for those with nice incomes. That limits some of us to how many plants we can afford to buy. Aside from the money I also like to get plants young and small and have the pleasure of watching them grow while others want a mature plant ready to flower.
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