Episode 70: Your Mother's Day Readiness Check List and A Few Bonus Ideas!
With Mother's Day less than two weeks out, Vonda and Lori keep this one short and practical: a rapid-fire readiness checklist for the biggest volume holiday of the florist year. Grab a pen — the goal is to hear each item and go "yep, check, check, check" before the flowers hit your door.
Flowers, cooler, and design room prep
Start with the obvious: flowers and foliage ordered, with delivery dates confirmed. Then work backward through everything those stems will touch. Have your D.C.D. cleaner on hand for scrubbing buckets, plus hydrating solution (Hydraflor or a quick dip) and flower food. This is the week for a deep cooler clean — organize it, add extra shelving if you need it, and get it truly ready.
On the design side, check your floral foam supply, vase preservative, and tools — with one counterintuitive tip from Vonda: do not break out new knives this holiday week. Fresh blades plus fast hands (especially newer employees) equals cut fingers. Stock card holders and care cards, and keep cleaner in a spray bottle within reach of the design table. Lori adds a tip she picked up in Flower Prep School: color-code your spray bottles so the cleaner never gets confused with your finishing spray.
Then the everyday supplies that vanish mid-rush: vases for roses and in-store specials, ribbons — and if you're tying bows on vases, make them now, not after each design is done. Pre-make plant bows, dress your green and blooming plants, and check enclosure cards, envelopes, and super tickets. At the wrapping counter: tissue, cellophane bags, and flower-food packets to send out with wrapped flowers.
Delivery: policies, drivers, and gas in the vans
Make sure every driver — especially temporary holiday drivers — clearly knows your delivery policy. If no one's home, do you leave it on the step? Are drivers texting or calling first for contact-free delivery? This is the week someone forgets to tell somebody. Line up extra drivers and check the small stuff: clipboards, pens, log sheets, delivery boxes, GPS access on every phone, vans filled with gas, and a plan for who grabs the company credit card when a tank runs low mid-route.
Sales training and smart add-ons
Enhancements come back to sales training. Make sure your staff knows about the inventory you bought specifically for Mother's Day — not just the usual balloon-or-chocolate offer. Lori's habit from Sales Prep School: walk in every day, pick a product to highlight, and jot it on a Post-it by the phone, because callers can't see what you have. The worst they'll say is "no, thank you."
A few bonus merchandising ideas: build grab-and-go bundles — a plant trio already wrapped in cellophane with a ribbon so a hurried shopper can pick it up and be done. Try a healthy basket for wellness-minded customers. And partner with a local business: a beautiful plant paired with a gift card for a pedicure or an aromatic candle is exactly what mom wants.
Set your team up for success
Mother's Day is actually bigger than Valentine's Day in volume, but it spreads across the whole week — Wednesday through Sunday — so it's busier but less frantic. Explain that to employees who've never worked one. Hold a quick team meeting early: here's what the week looks like, here's what I need from you, what do you need from me? Surface conflicts (the ballet recital, the basketball game) now, not Friday.
Then take care of your people. Plan meals for the week in advance instead of scrambling each day — or do what Vonda's shop did and have a crock-pot day where everyone brings something. Keep the food balanced (not just pizza and chocolate, or the headaches and fatigue set in), keep water available with a permanent marker nearby for names, and expect the unexpected: bandages, Tylenol, and emergency numbers at the ready.
Walk in your own front door
Before the rush, come in the way a customer does instead of through the back. You'll spot the cobwebs, the spot that needs paint, the front door begging for a wreath. Think through traffic flow if several customers arrive at once and whether you'll need to limit the number of people inside.
Finally, with supply shortages a reality, train everyone on the phrase that saves sales: "but here's what we do have." Focus the conversation on what you can offer, said with confidence — about 95 percent of customers will happily say "that'll work."
Key takeaways
- Deep-clean the cooler and stock all supplies — buckets, hydration, flower food, vases, bows, cards — before the flowers arrive.
- No new knives during holiday week, and color-code your spray bottles.
- Nail down delivery policies and logistics for every driver, including the temporary ones.
- Communicate early with staff: expectations, schedules, meals, and appreciation set the tone for the week.
- When you're out of something, pivot to "here's what we do have" — turn a negative into a positive sale.
Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist