Question 2. Where in the flower shop, transport, setting up could someone have added a flower without being noticed? How is all this process done? Any possibly of them noticing the odd one they know they don't sell themselves and just remove it or inquire about it? I'm assuming yes so, it had to have been done at the concert and out of the florists hands? My story needs the musician tracking down how the extra flower got in to find his mom. Thanks for your help.
On to questions two! Which is a little tougher because unless it is stuffed away in a pack of other flowers it will definitely be noticed at some point, and if it’s stuffed away so it goes unnoticed it would be a miracle for the poor thing to survive. And since I don’t know what sort of flower you intend to smuggle for your character I can’t give you proper advice on how to hide it. See, when your flower shop owner goes to buy flowers from the wholesaler they won’t buy singles but packages of flowers. So while yes, an odd one could have gotten mixed into the package it’s highly unlikely since that would mean those two flowers came from the same field, and definitely the same company.
What is more likely is that someone at some point smuggled the flower into the stack of already paid packages of the florist. If they wait till the cart is already rather full and nobody’s going through the stacks anymore to check what they have to punch in, then it would go unnoticed till they get to the car. There is still a small chance that they still don’t notice while they load the flowers in, but I am going to advise against it so the special flower doesn’t get crushed. Immediate confusion aside, if the flower is supposed to stick with them they’ll make sure it will have a safe journey back to the shop.
In my experience, there are three ways for flower shops to obtain their flowers. If it’s a big company, like really big, like a flower supermarket, they will likely have deals with the companies growing the flowers and basically, empty some of their fields and from there on out everything goes into the hands of the company. I am going to say that I think smuggling in an extra flower would be much easier here since everything is produced en masse and there will be pre-made flower mixes, but at the same time it is the least likely for your scenario to work because it would include so much luck for your character to end up with the flower.
Way number two would be a well-known wholesaler over here, you can buy directly from them but they also deliver flowers. By well-known, I mean that every florist around here has pretty much heard of them whether or not they buy there. I’ve never been in contact with this wholesaler, so this is more hearsay for me, but I wanted to use this as an example that a single wholesaler with ample connections can very well supply multiple small businesses. (Mod Den Note: All of the smaller flower shops I’ve worked in in the US have had deliveries from a local wholesaler like this.)
Way number three and the one I am most acquainted with is the central flower market, which is exactly what it says on the label. Many different wholesalers gather there, so there’s lots of variety. Basically, your florist will get themselves a cart (they look kinda like these babies) and go looking for their stuff, buy it and get back to their car. They load everything in, bring the cart back and get to their shop. To give you an idea of the time schedule: Since all these purchases will have to be done before the shop opens florists are usually up and on their feet in the middle of the night.
So no, the possibility of nobody noticing the odd one out is very slim, as well as that it even ends up in the florists’ hands. However, if you insist on smuggling it into the shop I would go with the scenario I described earlier. Other than that there is the possibility of someone (in this case the mother in question) will have visited the shop and requested the flower to be bought so she could obtain it. (This scenario would help later, but more when we get to it.) Considering that she grew them herself she would be familiar with the blooming season and maybe even the average price, mainly the former would help her obtain the flower.
Scenario 1 (The smuggled flower): Whether or not the florist will know if the flower sells entirely depends on their clientèle, so you can practically have it go any way you like, but the fancier the flower is the more pricey it is. If it’s something out of their regular customers’ price range there is no use of putting it on display, and they might only present it to a few hand-picked customer who seem to have the money and taste for it. What’s more likely since they will be aware of not having paid for this flower, is checking their receipts (if they kept them) and wondering where they could have accidentally picked it up. Whether or not they mention it to the wholesaler is entirely up to their character though, but going with that they will keep it the flower is most likely to go into a single vase in the back of the store. From there on out the flower is entirely up to the florist’s mercy, they might have truly no use for it but if it’s any kind of presentable cut flower it’s more likely for them to make a special arrangement. Maybe it’s even for a regular, in that case, they would know whether or not an experiment like adding an unasked for flower is acceptable or not, but also whether or not they could gift it or sell it to them in the first place.
Scenario 2 (The bought flower): If they bought it they are more likely to put it on display. However, in this case, it’s more likely for them to have a small number of the flower in question than just a single one. Usually only fancy flowers like orchids or gloriosas are sold in singles, otherwise, the smallest package you can usually get is 3 or 5 at a time. Given that it’s such a small number and someone specifically requested the flowers the most likely scenario is for the florist to keep these separate from their usual display depending. If they are uncertain whether or not other customers would buy them, they could keep them just in eye-sight, but note that they’re already reserved for someone else whenever other customers inquire about them. Which is overall a good way to assess whether or not if it can be sold.
Regardless of the scenario if the flower is something they cannot sell as a single and don’t intend to keep it’s most likely to end up in an arrangement on display. That way it won’t have gone to waste and someone might actually buy it. Or maybe one of the employees notes how pretty it is and they get to take the flower home if their boss is okay with it, in case of a small corner shop that would be likely.Unless there is a definite reason to ask after the flower or they think they have accidentally picked it up from a wholesaler they regularly visit, I don’t think they will.
So now your guy got his flower and wants to track it. This would be quite hard in scenario one since the only way your florist has to do so is hopefully a picture and a guess which wholesaler might have such flowers. From there on out it’s questioning the people at the stands they usually shop at for clues. However, it is unlikely they would go out of their way to find the flower without good reason. Being a fan of said musician or knowing that it holds sentimental value or both might do the trick though.
Scenario two, however, would include receipts, even if the flower isn’t noted on them by name but by some obscure description, that would narrow it down for them if they don’t remember where they bought it. Whether or not the wholesaler actually knows where they got it from I can’t say for sure, but if it’s a well-known brand stamped on their package the more likely it is. The florist themselves might even remember who bought the flower at their shop if both the buyer and the musician mention that it holds sentimental value. Something like that would stand out, especially in combination with an unusual flower. And if the buyer is a regular the florist might even have name and number in their files. Unfortunately, that is information they wouldn’t be able to give out just like that. Either way, if they have the name of the place where the flowers were grown, there’s a slim chance those people actually have a website your character can check out.If you intend to have the florist not know anything about the flower, that is, the flower was added by someone after the florist put the arrangement together there are two points this could happen. If the same florist is delivering a lot of flowers to the concert venue, then they will be filling their van up with these arrangements. It’s possible that only one person will be loading the van (especially for smaller shops) and they will take a cart of arrangements out, get them settled into boxes designed to keep the arrangements from falling over during transit, then go back in for another cartload. That’s the first window where someone could quickly access the van and insert the extra flower into one of the loaded arrangements before the florist/shop assistant/delivery driver returns to load the rest of the arrangements. These vans aren’t always kept in super secure locations, just not easily reached spots like the alley behind the shop.
However, if the shop is a larger one where there is more security around the vans and more than one person loading the deliveries, the only point someone could slip in an extra flower to a previously created arrangement is at and after delivery to the venue. Then it’s a matter of who has access to the concert venue ahead of time.
One other method that I just thought of is someone calling into the florist shop and asking to add the flower to an already ordered bouquet. If the person that is trying to signal the musician knows someone that ordered flowers, say from social media, they could potentially call in pretending to be that person and ask for the flower to be added. If the flower is expensive then this will probably mean an additional charge (especially if the florist doesn’t already have some in stock and has to special order in a rush). But your message sender might get around this with a prepaid credit card or similar that can’t be traced as easily. The florist would have a record of the call in asking for the specific flower and probably have record of the card that the change was charged to (at least in part, depending on security protocols). Or have them go in person claiming to be a friend/family member of the person that ordered the flowers and either provide the flower to be added or pay in cash for any difference. That would allow the florist or cashier that assisted them to possible remember some physical features.
And… I think I’ve got everything covered now. If you still have questions, by all means, please let us know.
This blog is intended as writing advice only. This blog and its mods are not responsible for accidents, injuries or other consequences of using this advice for real world situations or in any way that said advice was not intended.
