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

"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...
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.

It looks like my local Lowes is getting out of the orchid business
entirely - they put all the orchid related stuff in the bargain bin and
haven't had an orchid for awhile.


"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...
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.

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

"K Barrett" wrote in message
. ..
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

"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...
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.

On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 21:17:15 GMT in Mark_OK wrote:
It looks like my local Lowes is getting out of the orchid business
entirely - they put all the orchid related stuff in the bargain bin and
haven't had an orchid for awhile.

They'll be back for mother's day.
Possibly back for xmas.
--
Chris Dukes
elfick willg: you can't use dell to beat people, it wouldn't stand up
to the strain... much like attacking a tank with a wiffle bat

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
...
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.


You have to get them before they're almost dead from root rot or
desiccation. I've had great luck with orchids from Wally World, Lowe's and
HD. I examine them very carefully before they go into my shopping cart. I
also repot them as soon as possible because that moss they're shipped in
holds too much moisture.

"Mark_OK" wrote in message
et...
It looks like my local Lowes is getting out of the orchid business
entirely - they put all the orchid related stuff in the bargain bin and
haven't had an orchid for awhile.


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


"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...

"Mark_OK" wrote in message
et...
It looks like my local Lowes is getting out of the orchid business
entirely - they put all the orchid related stuff in the bargain bin and
haven't had an orchid for awhile.


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.

"K Barrett" wrote in message
...
No local society?

There is an orchid society in a city about 30 miles from here. I know
little about it but can surely find out more. All I heard was that the
folks were all quite wealthy, not the blue jeans and T-shirt type, and
thought nothing of paying $200 for a plant. She felt very uncomfortable and
never went back.

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.

It's certainly worth looking into.


Just a thought.

K Barrett

On Aug 9, 1:03 pm, "Manelli Family" wrote:


There is an orchid society in a city about 30 miles from here. I know
little about it but can surely find out more. All I heard was that the
folks were all quite wealthy, not the blue jeans and T-shirt type, and
thought nothing of paying $200 for a plant. She felt very uncomfortable and
never went back.



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

wrote in message
ups.com...
On Aug 9, 1:03 pm, "Manelli Family" wrote:


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.


LOL!!!

Maybe you and 'she' could drive over together, become the jeans and t-shirt
crowd at the formal society. Failing that maybe when next you go to the
formal society you could ask around about other societies in the area.
Maybe there are others, (you never know). I know I was intimidated the
first time I went to my sociey's meeting. No one talked to me and worse yet
no one talked about orchids in the refreshment room so I couldn't even
eavesdrop about orchids!! Even till today I don't go into the refreshement
room for exactly that reason - nobody talks about orchids there. All the
orchid talkers are out looking at the plants on the raffle table and show
and tell table. Another 'benefit' of joining a society is that you get the
newsletter and can join some of the extra curricular activities, like the
BBQ and auction, or a greenhouse tour which would put you in contact with
more vendors. And, while I do buy $200 plants, I still drive down to the
SBOE for the $7.50 plant table. So don't count the local society down until
its out. Plus societies change leadership relatively quickly, so maybe its
changed by now. Heck even the Oakland society has changed its tenor since I
got into orchids. It used to be high falutin' now its just folks. But
don't let me strong arm you. I just think you need more information before
you make a decision. For example, I *still* haven't gotten Tom in Walnut
Creek to get over to the Diablo View OS, so I can't be so great at strong
arm tactics. *G*

K Barrett



"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...

"K Barrett" wrote in message
...
No local society?

There is an orchid society in a city about 30 miles from here. I know
little about it but can surely find out more. All I heard was that the
folks were all quite wealthy, not the blue jeans and T-shirt type, and
thought nothing of paying $200 for a plant. She felt very uncomfortable
and never went back.

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.

It's certainly worth looking into.


Just a thought.

K Barrett

wrote in message
ups.com...
On Aug 9, 1:03 pm, "Manelli Family" wrote:


There is an orchid society in a city about 30 miles from here. I know
little about it but can surely find out more. All I heard was that the
folks were all quite wealthy, not the blue jeans and T-shirt type, and
thought nothing of paying $200 for a plant. She felt very uncomfortable
and
never went back.



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

I know what you mean. If I took two to get rid of I'm sure to come back
with three or four new ones. We looked up the information and decided to
make a meeting or two to see just how formal these people are. If the women
are in mink stoles and the men in Tuxes, we're out of there. ;0)

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


"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...
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.

"K Barrett" wrote in message
. ..
Maybe you and 'she' could drive over together, become the jeans and
t-shirt crowd at the formal society. Failing that maybe when next you go
to the formal society you could ask around about other societies in the
area. Maybe there are others, (you never know). I know I was intimidated
the first time I went to my sociey's meeting.

"She" no longer lives here. My spouse and I decided we'd go to a few
meetings to see what the story is. We hardly expect people to be in blue
jeans and T-shirts. wink-wink I think she meant she felt out of place
because they appeared to be of the 6-figure income crowd.

No one talked to me and worse yet
no one talked about orchids in the refreshment room so I couldn't even
eavesdrop about orchids!! Even till today I don't go into the
refreshement room for exactly that reason - nobody talks about orchids
there. All the orchid talkers are out looking at the plants on the raffle
table and show and tell table.

I'll grab my coffee and bun and head for wherever the orchids are.

Another 'benefit' of joining a society is that you get the
newsletter and can join some of the extra curricular activities, like the
BBQ and auction, or a greenhouse tour which would put you in contact with
more vendors.

Yes, this is what we were thinking also. Even if they are a group of
snobs......... which they well may not be.

And, while I do buy $200 plants, I still drive down to the
SBOE for the $7.50 plant table. So don't count the local society down
until its out. Plus societies change leadership relatively quickly, so
maybe its changed by now. Heck even the Oakland society has changed its
tenor since I got into orchids. It used to be high falutin' now its just
folks. But don't let me strong arm you. I just think you need more
information before you make a decision. For example, I *still* haven't
gotten Tom in Walnut Creek to get over to the Diablo View OS, so I can't
be so great at strong arm tactics. *G*

LOL! :0)