60 percent of the roses Americans buy during the year are for three days: Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Christmas.
Going to the S.F. Flower Market a few days before Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, or Christmas can be hazardous to your health. A Flower Market that is usually hectic becomes a "jungle" of double parked vans and cars, and sleep deprived buyers and sellers, trying to find the "freshest" flowers for resale. (The wholesale market opens at 2 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday....Tuesday and Thursday are "late" days, with the market opening at 5 a.m.) The prices of almost all of the flowers (but especially roses) are raised for buyers during that period. The article is correct....those prices are passed along to the consumer. A true study of "the market process".
When California was having the "energy crisis" a couple of years ago, some of the rose growers lost most of their crops due to lack of heat...or the inability to be able to afford paying the heating bill for their greenhouses.
Most of the florists make their greatest profits during the Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Christmas time periods. |
