Orchid tips for the salesfloor

[LeGray]

I often see threads complaining that people who work at stores that sell orchids (which aren't specialty stores) have incompetant or otherwise unknowledgeable employees. What sorts of things do you WANT these people to say to their costumers?

[OrchidTraci]

I want them to tell me I can have as many plants as I want for FREE so they don't die.

[LeGray]

ba dum ching.
apparently, orchid scent really is conducive to delirum.

[LJA]

eidelon, I don't think it's so much what they say to the customers, as it is how they take care of the plants. If the salespeople in the garden area had some basic knowledge about orchid growing, and had the time and leeway to take care of the plants properly, it wouldn't be such an issue. The plants I've seen in many chain stores, for example, are either kept so wet that they're drowning, or are never watered at all and become dry as bones. Many times they're placed as end caps where they'll (hopefully) move faster, but the location isn't conducive to their care (they can't be watered at all). Or, they develop pest and disease problems but are never sprayed, so they just go downhill.

Once the salespeople themselves know not to overwater, know that sphag will hold a lot more moisture a lot longer than coconut, etc etc., the things they tell their customers will just arise naturally from what they know--from what they're actually putting into practice. The problem is, learning all of that takes time, and it's just a lot easier to go over everything twice a day with the hose and call it done.

[LeGray]

i posted this thread on another forum, and got a lot of interesting replies. most people were.... a little unrealistic, in my opinion. care sheets, back history, names, watering cycles, all sorts of information and whatnot that your regular box store employee simply will not know. nor should they be required to know. these stores usually are not paying their employees because they are "specialists", they're paying them to keep their area clean and ring up customers. if people want that sort of care, that sort of guidence, that sort of knowlege, they should really fork over some extra money and go to a professional.

i can't speak for your stores down there, but my store f*king rocks. (i'm an egoist, ya know?)