You can call or walk into your local florist—Copper Penny Flowers—and receive personal service for arrangements we personally deliver. But how do you find a local florist in another town? Because the internet allows order-gathering services to appear local, you want to vet any florist before you place an out-of-town order. Just because a search for Roseville lists Roseville Florist, don’t assume you have a local shop. Here’s how to weed out order-gathering services that may take up to 30% of your purchase price as a processing fee and find a local florist:

–Go to the website and check Home and About Us pages for the shop’s physical address.

–Check the Contact Us page for a local phone number. Don’t assume a toll-free number is about saving you money! This business may be concealing their actual location.

–Call the local number and ask what shop you’ve called to make sure the name matches the website. Ask for the location of the shop and driving directions.

–Ask the florist to itemize all charges. Most local florists charge a delivery fee, and possibly a small add-on fee for expedited service if you have a tight time frame for the arrangement’s arrival, but relay fees, service fees, and shipping and handling fees are an indication that you are not speaking to a local florist.

Once you’ve verified a local florist, peruse the website. Does it look professional? Is it up-to-date? Do you like the design of the arrangements? Reviews can be helpful, but not the last word. Any customer can post a negative review that may be a little, or a lot, exaggerated. In fact, that customer’s negative experience may be from an order sent through an order-gathering service! The local florist received the order too late to deliver on the selected day, did not get enough money to provide the arrangement pictured, and received a garbled card message. Now the local florist cannot call the sender to clarify information and a new delivery date because the local florist doesn’t have the sender’s information. So the local florist calls the order-gathering service, and may not hear back for hours, or at all. Ordering directly is one solution.

Ordering through a local florist that you know and trust is the other. You can order out-of-town flowers through Copper Penny Flowers. We charge a small service fee for sending out your order, and then provide all the personal service you need. In addition, Copper Penny Flowers is a member of B Brooks Fine Flowers, a nationwide consortium of florists specializing in premium flowers. This membership is by invitation only; all B Brooks florists have been vetted to ensure premiere service and floral designs. If a B Brooks florist is not available, we have additional florist networks to take care of your delivery. If you order through Copper Penny Flowers, we own the responsibility of making sure you are a satisfied customer.