What Is Order Gathering

Order gathering is done by companies that advertise in the yellow pages of your local phone book under “Florist” or companies listed in the white pages under “Your Town Florist”. These companies are almost never a local business. They take your order and wire it back to a local florist to fill. While there are some very reputable companies that provide this type of service, there are those that are not. You may be charged more than you would have been charged by the filling florist had you called them directly. In some instances the order gatherer will take your order at one dollar amount and give a lower dollar amount to the filling florist. This practice is called skimming. Skimming most often hurts you and the local filling florist. You are not getting what you paid for and it appears that the local filling florist has under filled your order which in turn creates a negative reputation for the florist.

This is a scenario that often takes place without either you, the sender, or the local florist’s knowledge. Most local florists are hardworking, dedicated businesses. Many employees of order gatherers are not knowledgeable about flowers or the floral industry. Some order gatherers will have one small shop they fill orders from but most are “Send Only Shops” that do not fill orders.