This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of 1-800-Flowers. All opinions are 100% mine.
There are lots of ways to send gifts and make someone feel special. Maybe you need to apologize to someone you love, or you have an anniversary coming up. Flowers and delivered gifts tend to make everyone smile. Being the Thrifty Mama that I am, my last thought is to think of shopping at 1-800 Flowers when I want to surprise someone or say “I’m Sorry”. I think that the prices at 1-800 Flowers are too high, and shipping is, for the most part, way over-priced.
1-800 Flowers sent me $50 to order something online, and it took me a long time to make a decision because I was thrown back by the prices. When I finally decided to send my husband a box of cheese and fruit, I went through the check out process. With shipping being over $17 for this box, I imagined my box being delivered by hand with a singing barber shop quartet. Alas, it was dropped at my door by UPS to sit out in the heat and melt the cheese. It was also delivered late.
Allright I said, let’s see the yummy goodness that is inside this box: 3 apples, 2 pears and 2 small cheeses. By my estimation I could buy these items at my local grocery store for $15-$25 depending on sales and coupons. If I wanted to, I could get a cardboard box with some fancy packing material and put it together for a gift (cost of the box and packing material being around $3 or less).
(photo from website)
(photo of what arrived – note that the cheese that arrived is not what they advertised on their website) The pears didn’t quite last until I had a chance to take the photo…Someone likes pears around here.
1-800 Flowers Cost: Nearly $60. But I did have a coupon code that took $6 off, so I’m sure I feel like I got a great deal… (sigh)
You may be thinking that I just ordered the wrong thing, or didn’t use the best deals they were offering. I admit I didn’t order the cheapest item available. I wanted to order something that my husband would enjoy for our anniversary. Flowers really don’t appeal to him at all. If I had wanted the cheaper deal, after shipping I would have spent about $30-$40 for 12 flowers.
Seeing that cost is a very important thing to me, unless 1-800 Flowers can start offering some better deals, I won’t be ordering from them on a regular basis. I will say 1-800 Flowers has done a good job branding themselves, and sending a gift through them is bound to make someone feel special just by seeing the name.
So if you want to splurge, make someone feel special, or apologize with style, then you might try flower delivery from 1800Flowers.com. Be sure to check for coupon codes, and go through a cash back site to make for the best deal! Take 15% off of Birthday gifts and flowers with coupon code BIRTHDAY15.
My opinion certainly can vary from others. Do you think 1-800 Flowers is worth the money?
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
We have been using ProFlowers for years. They have a freshness guarantee- so if your flowers don’t last a week they send you a new bunch for free!
My husband orders flowers a lot and I have always been impressed by the quality and the price. I don’t know much about 1-800-Flowers, but I am always hesitant about ordering food (like cheese and produce) online, especially in the summer. The heat makes me nervous! I too am wondering if you would have had a better experience with a flower order.
Toni
lol, I love this review! Thanks for being honest with us. I really don’t think us deal hunters are a good match for flower delivery companies. I love to splurge on flowers, but when I do it’s WAY cheaper to pick up a bouquet at my local grocery store and arrange them in one of my many vases (that came from flower deliveries in the past).
And it’s so true, their pictures on the website never do the flowers justice. A few years back my husband sent flowers from 1800flowers. I got them and thought they were hideous. But then he showed me the picture and they looked so gorgeous and I knew why he ordered them. Flowers and shoes, two things that if you buy them online, you have to be prepared for disappointment. But at least the shoes are returnable!!!
I agree with your assessment – they’re overpriced and they under-deliver. The one time that I ordered from them, I discovered that the flowers aren’t actually delivered from a florist (like they imply) but that they come in a box, so you have to arrange them yourself. And you have to pay extra if you want a vase! I never ordered from them again.
I ordered flowers for a friend to brighten her day and was VERY DISAPPOINTED when I arrived at her house a few days later to see what she recieved…..NOT EVEN CLOSE to what the picture showed. As a matter of fact, they even substituted carnations instead of the beautiful roses that were pictured. I called to complain and received no satisfactory response from their customer service…was told it was their policy to make “appropriate substitutions” when neccessary. That was the first and last time I used them!!
I have ordered from them with no problems. The only times I use a flower delivery service, though, is when someone is in the hospital far away and I would like to do something nice for them. It does cost extra, but when you can’t travel yourself, it is a lovely way to show someone you are thinking of them.
A couple months ago I used some of my coke reward points to send some flowers from FTD to my best friend who lives several hours away for her birthday. It was still a splurge because I’m usually so thrifty, but she loved them and it made her feel special so it was worth it! For friends and family who live closer (or for the occassional treat for myself!) I love to just pick up some flowers at Publix and arrange myself. SO much more budget-friendly and I think people appreciate the effort more when you put it together yourself.
I have used them a couple of times. Am I happy with their service? No. They are way overpriced for what they deliver. However, I needed flowers delivered to another state (death, hospital, etc.) I would love to know of a better place to order.
LOVED your review! I just read another review of them on another ‘thrifty’ site and was disappointed to see her go about how great it is and why we should shop there. Her ‘gift’ was 80 for some flowers, a scarf and a CD. I thought I could do better on my own!! Sorry your box was not what you wanted! But I hope your anniversary was special none the less!
Well my husband ordered a beautiful boquet for me on Mother’s Day. At least in the photo it was beautiful. They never made it to my door. After 1 week of arguing back and forth, finally they admitted they had no florist to deliver that particular arrangement. So they finally refunded our money. Oh and they sent a $20.00 gift certificate, which with their prices will only cover delivery costs. I say no thank you.
I see a note above about calling a service when you have to send flowers out of town… you can call YOUR LOCAL FLORIST who you know and trust and they can place an order in the town on your behalf. I imagine somehow your local florist gets a % of the total bill, etc. But we have done this for funerals and different out-of-town occasions.
As a fellow blogger I love the REAL opinions in this!
Way to go Crystal!!
If they couldn’t handle valentines day volume, they should have stopped accepting orders. I ordered on Thursday 2/10 for delivery on 2/14. No delivery, no notification of being late, no apology until 2/16. They offered a refund and $20 off next purchase. There won’t be a next purchase.