One way to stretch your flower buying budget just a little further

Flowers.

Mark White is Editor of The News Journal.

They are those pretty things that make many women go “aaahhhh” when they get them.

This is especially true when the flowers get delivered to them at work. Not only do women get to enjoy that big bouquet of flowers that way, but they also get the added benefit of everyone else making a fuss over them. Many also like the fact that the other women in the office get all jealous over their flowers. (Not that most of them would admit that though. You know I speak the truth on this ladies…LOL.)

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching and many men trying to come up with something to buy their ladies, I thought this might be a good time to pass along some flower buying advice that a local florist posted about recently on their Facebook page. This advice may help you get a little more bang for your flower buying buck or to save a few dollars.

The florist pointed out that when you use one of those national toll free numbers or one of those national websites to order your flowers, to remember that a significant amount of the money you are paying is going to third-party provider.

For instance, when you place your order $69.99 through one national telephone service there is a $15 service fee charge, a $2.99 Saturday delivery fee, and they keep 27 percent of the posted price for the flowers. They don’t pass along the service or delivery fee to your local florist though.

In other words, out of your $87.97 bill plus tax, your local florist only gets $51.08. Then $41.08 of that fee goes for the floral arrangement and $10 for your local florist to deliver it.

This isn’t to say these national services are bad. They are especially helpful if you are sending flowers out of town for a funeral for instance. I know my wife and I have used them ourselves a few times.

However, if you’re going to send flowers locally to your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day then call up one of our local florists directly – (preferably one that advertises here in your local community newspaper, hint, hint) – and place the order for the flowers straight with them. You will get a few more flowers for the same buck that way, or you can use the price difference between the local florist and the national service to buy your sweetie a bigger box of chocolates.

Here is another tip for you newbies when it comes to buying flowers.

If you want to get even more bang for your buying buck, then order your flowers from your local florist directly, pick them up yourself and deliver them to your sweetheart personally, if possible.

Chances are that she will love it.

Now to touch on a few other topics before I conclude this column.

• The United States Postal Service takes a lot of flak about not getting mail where it is supposed to go and some of the criticism is deservedly so. However, I have to give credit to the Corbin Post Office for a recently delivery with a not so exact address listed.

Gus Clouse recently posted a picture of a letter on his Facebook page that was addressed to Grace on the Hill church where he works, and it was delivered there last week.

The address read “Here in Corbin Down From Krogers Corbin KY. 40701.”

“Hats off to the Post Office for getting it to us,” Gus posted on his Facebook page about the letter. I second that sentiment Gus.

• Kudos to the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department and the Whitley County School District for the hiring of retired Kentucky State Police Trooper James Hodge as a new school resource officer. In addition to being a great singer, he’s a good person, who should do a terrific job in this new role.