Crape myrtle tree, 25 gallon, $165 retail.
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Crape myrtle tree, 5 gallon, $100 retail.
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2 independent retail garden centers, above, pricing.
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Dozens of trees at both price points, each more disgusting than the other in quality.
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Puppet Barbuda cringes for her industry, Landscape Design & Contracting. Poor quality/high pricing at retail. What must 'lay' people think her services cost?
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Finally, a wholesale nursery. Gorgeous 10 gallon crape myrtle, $50 wholesale.
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Gorgeous 10 gallon crape myrtle: $100 installed and a 1 year guarantee we replace & replant.
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Disgusting 5 gallon crape myrtle: $100 you install, 1 year guarantee & you schlep.
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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
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These prices were in Texas, was doing a job for my Mom on a very tight timeline. I was HORRIFIED at the independent garden center pricing & quality.
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Getting into my car at one of the retail nurseries an elderly man had a tray of flowers purchased and was trying with difficulty to open his car door, within eyesight of 4 garden center employees watching him. Literally not figuratively. Puppet Barbuda went & helped him. So, this is how things have changed since Puppet Barbuda worked garden retail in the 80's?
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Pic, the lovely pot with Chinese snowball blossoms is in my Bay Terrace.
4 comments:
I really hate that the independent retailer was so bad. Some of us expect more from an independent. Caring about our customers is what sets us apart.
I won't even darken the gate of most retail nurseries (though we have one independently owned one that is wonderful). Ill trained staff + low quality merchandise = frustration and wasted money.
Here's a funny nursery story. I was buying hostas years ago, popping each of my choices from the pot to check the roots, when I was chastised by a nearby employee. I quickly reminded the young man that I was buying the entire plant, not just the part above the pot, and I intended to inspect my purchase thoroughly. I won't shop there anymore.
You bring up an ironic and sad point...DIY should not cost more than hiring others, materials and labor. And paying retail implies better service.
Here, most plants are overpriced, retail or wholesale (resale). A large grower in Arizona sells plants cheaply here, but the locals mark them up insanele, perhaps to go with the insanely high commercial property leasing or sales costs.
And people (and the nurseries) wonder why so many landscapes are so plant-stingy!
Time to give the nurseries and contractors in my region some good, old-fashioned competition...with more time, and upon finding some affordable property:-)
Do you still offer Landscape Design Services by mail? Or would you like to swing by (through Arkansas) on your way home?
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