Buying flowers without getting trimmed

Local florist shops, supermarkets, street vendors, online outlets. There are a lot of petal peddlers out there, and — according to ratings Checkbook gets from Twin Cities area consumers — many that disappoint buyers with delayed deliveries, wilted flowers, broken promises and arrangements far smaller and much different than shown in catalogs.

Because floral customers often place orders for a product that's arranged and delivered sight unseen, it's no surprise that so many problems occur. Florists must somehow interpret customers' tastes, determine what's appropriate for the occasion, and design and build a work of art fitting those needs. The best floral shops make this happen with fresh products, prompt delivery and low prices.

Through special arrangement with the Star Tribune, you can access Checkbook's ratings of local florists for quality and price free of charge until March 5 by using this link: checkbook.org/startribune/florists.

If you want an arrangement delivered, seek exotic or unusual flowers or need advice, your best bet is a retail florist. But if you're willing to pick up blooms yourself, need a typical bouquet, want to arrange the things yourself or would like to save money, you have other options.

Supermarkets and warehouse clubs. Supermarkets, warehouse clubs and other mass merchandisers count on big-time foot traffic, selling flowers to shoppers who stop in to buy a few things, but leave with a cartful of other stuff. What you'll get ranges from basic (a few carnations) to full-service.

Supermarkets and big-box stores offer one big plus: price. Checkbook's shoppers found that supermarket prices averaged about 25 percent lower than those at traditional florists. But there's a wide spread of costs for the same blooms among different supermarkets. For example, Checkbook found supermarket prices ranging from $7 to $36 for a dozen red roses.

Wholesalers. In the Twin Cities area, you can also snag flowers where many florists shop. Market Flowers Service in the North Loop is open to the public. It not only offers incredible variety, but also tremendous savings: Our undercover shoppers found prices there were about 40 percent lower than those at local retail florists.

Florists. Good retail florists can help with any flower-oriented need, plus delivery, wire services and helping with big events like weddings. Their business models and styles range from wire service-only (with that standard FTD look) to custom shops creating original designs arranged with unusual or exotic flowers in vintage or artistic vases.

Many florists evaluated by Checkbook received high ratings from their surveyed customers, but the ratings for some shops prove that a rose is not always a rose: Consumers often lodged complaints about late or missing deliveries; florists showing up with the wrong items; poor-quality products; lousy attitudes; and wire-service arrangements that showed up with fewer (or lower-quality) flowers than ordered.

Checkbook's undercover shoppers also found big price differences among area florists: Some shops charge more than three times as much as their local competitors for the same products.

National networks, online options. If you need to send flowers to someone outside the Twin Cities area, you have a few choices: ordering directly through a florist in that city, asking a local florist to coordinate things or turning to a national floral network.

Checkbook's take: Work directly with a retail florist — either located here or where the recipient lives — rather than relying on a national outfit. The best florists keep track of their experiences with florists in other areas and will follow up to make sure your blooms are delivered.

No matter whom you hire to arrange your arrangements, pay by credit card. If a florist screws up and is unwilling to make things right, you can contest the charge with your credit card company.