Help Me Send Flowers to San Francisco

January 8, 2011 7:38 AM

I'd like to send flowers to someone in San Francisco who is having a hard time, and I don't have a lot of money. Any recommendations for a place that will either be affordable, or give me bang for my buck?

My informal online survey has shown me that getting flowers delivered is an expensive proposition (the sites of some of the florists that I looked at charge $50-$60 at a minimum for a very modest bouquet) but I thought I'd ask to see if there were any secret affordable florists, or, failing that, if folks had recommendations of places that did a great job and didn't make the kind of mistakes that wind up being complained about on Yelp. If it makes a difference, the delivery destination will be in the Outer Richmond.

Thank you!

posted by foxy_hedgehog to shopping (10 answers total)

You should post something in Jobs. I bet there's 8 to 12 zillion bike messengers and/or people with free time in SF who read AskMe who'd deliver your friend some nice flowers at cost. I would if I were there.
posted by carsonb at 8:11 AM on January 8, 2011

I've had some good luck sending flowers via Pro Flowers. They were in the $30-$40 range and the recipients loved them. I however don't know much about bouquets so I don't know if I sent something modest or extra awesome.
posted by mmascolino at 8:37 AM on January 8, 2011

If you go with ProFlowers, here are some coupons that might also help.
posted by cabingirl at 8:45 AM on January 8, 2011

I've had bad luck with Pro Flowers (boring options, wilty, over packaged, misdirected, etc). I recommend carsonb's bike messenger idea and then just look up local florists, call the one that looks most likely on yelp or someplace, give them your dollar amount and something about the occasion (funeral vs romantic v boss's promotion) and they'll get you the freshest flowers available in San Francisco, instead of trying to fill an order from an online company that has no idea what's cheap in SF v Chicago. If there's some flower you hate, you can just tell them. Ask what delivery costs- it's often cheaper than you'd guess- San Francisco's pretty tiny- but if not, do carsonb's bike messenger thing.

"I have $40 and want to have flowers delivered to my mom. Is that feasible? What kind of bouquet would that get? What about if I had a friend deliver it for me instead? Oh, and she hates lilies..."
posted by small_ruminant at 8:47 AM on January 8, 2011

In the past, I've mapped the recipient's address in Google Maps, then did the "search nearby" for florists. I picked one with relatively good reviews and called them directly to explain my budget and the occasion. Ask about fees for very local recipients. This has worked for me on numerous occasions.

Looks like you have a few great options in Outer Richmond:
Balboa Green
My Flower Shop
House of Flowers
JK Florist

Call a few and get a feel for price!
posted by barnone at 8:56 AM on January 8, 2011

See if you can find a florist in or near the zip code you want something sent to. Then call them directly and ask them what they can do for you. And ask for a designer's choice arrangement-they can be nice-instead of an ftd or teleflora. This will save you some bucks.

Also if you have a friend who can pick up and deliver for you that will save you money too.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 11:05 AM on January 8, 2011

Ps-small ruminant has the perfect script.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 11:06 AM on January 8, 2011

You might post an ad on gigs in Craigslist.
posted by lover at 11:09 AM on January 8, 2011

Have Fast Pass, will travel. I'll deliver the flowers as long as the florist is located in the City of San Francisco. You pay for the flowers, tell me when and where to pick up and deliver, and I'll do it for free.

Usual restrictions apply: no late night deliveries, no forays outside the city (where my transit pass won't work), no singing telegrams. Well actually, I might be persuaded to sing ...
posted by Quietgal at 11:23 AM on January 8, 2011 [11 favorites]

Quietgal FTW!
posted by small_ruminant at 2:22 PM on January 8, 2011