ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – The National Retail Federation expects consumers to spend a record $38 billion on Mother’s Day gifts and celebrations, $4 billion more than last year. That’s an average of $284 per person.
The most popular gift continues to be flowers. But florists say flower prices are up 5% to 10% due to a 10% tariff on flowers and the Iran conflict driving up the cost of fertilizer and fuel.
We talked with the owner of a local flower shop about how she’s working to keep prices down, thanks to business skills she learned from the founders — her parents.
It’s a special Mother’s Day at Lesher’s Flowers in St Louis. As they prepare for the Mother’s Day rush, Christine Lesher-Reed is remembering her mother and father, Dot and James Lesher, who founded the business 40 years ago. They both passed away in the last few years. Lesher-Reed runs the shop now.
“It means a lot. It means a whole lot. I feel obligated to do a good job because they were so hardworking. I wouldn’t have this if it weren’t for their hard work,” she said.
Despite some tough economic years, with high inflation and tariffs, she says business is blooming.
She says they have had to increase their delivery charge due to rising fuel costs. A gallon of regular gas has nearly doubled in the last two months.
“We’re routing our delivery trucks the best we can to be more efficient. We try not to re-work through an area that we’ve already been to that day,” she explained.
But she says they’ve worked to keep flower prices down through pre-ordering and long-term relationships with wholesalers.
“We try to stay affordable while still being profitable as a business. But I had some good teachers. My dad was a very frugal businessman. He taught me a lot about how to watch what you buy and get the best price you can,” she said.
For customers looking to save, she says arrangements can be made at all price points.
“We try to have a range of things. We have something called our Happy Daisies that’s just a pretty bubble bowl, with assorted yellow, white, pink daisies,” she told us.
Ways she works to keep the seeds her parents planted 40 years ago growing.
Here are some tips from experts on ways to save on flowers for Mother’s Day:
Ask your florist for lower cost options, such as lower cost flowers or smaller arrangements Pick it up rather than have it deliveredConsider a plant or hanging basket of flowers that will keep growingYou can buy lower-cost bouquets from grocery stores and wholesale clubs And use a vase you already have
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