By Stefan Reiner
The Challenge Cut Flowers in
M
y family and I lived in the U.S. for eight years, in Southern California close to San Diego. Our shopping for groceries was divided
among three grocers: Stater Bros, Albertson’s (due to its close proximity to our house), and Trader Joe’s. In all three stores cut flowers were part of their offering. Stater Bros and Albertson’s offered not just bouquets but small florist sections offering bouquets and con- sumer bunches in different styles, colors, and most importantly pricing. Potted plants were part of it but on a much smaller scale. One could even order a special arrangement when needed. Décor items were available as well. Trader Joe’s focused on local flower production and usually had the better quality (seasonal offering though).
The flower sections were conveniently located close to the registers and together with wine and choco- lates. So when looking for something to bring as a gift, one could choose between flowers, wine, and chocolate, or combine it as needed.
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This made it very easy for me to buy cut flowers for friends and family. One came by the flowers at least once during a grocery run, mostly more than once by the way the sections are located in the stores. Even my kids came up with the idea to take flowers home. I would say I brought home flowers at least once a month if not more. I did spend in average about $20 per purchase. When shopping for gifts I mostly com- bined wine and flowers, which again was easy and always left a good impression.
W
e are living in Germany for almost two years now. It was quite a change in many aspects, but one we just spoke recently
about was buying cut flowers. My sister is a florist, and we had an interesting exchange about the avail- ability of cut flowers in Germany. Also here I divide my grocery shopping among three chains: Aldi, Rewe, and Kaufland. They offer potted plants most of the time (seasonal a bit though), but
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