h a l f b a k e r yThe leaning tower of Piezo
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Ah, flowers. Many people thoroughly enjoy the gift of a nice bouquet of flowers from a loved one, friend, or secret admirer. But people have discriminating tastes with all things, not excluding flowers.
I think people should be able to log into a website and choose their favorite floral arrangements,
from several of the major floral order sites (like ProFlowers, FTD, etc.), using an identifier such as an email address or username or real name. If you remember Yahoo!'s Gift Registry from way back when (it used to be in Yahoo! Shopping, but it's now gone - wa!), it would be similar in that several merchants would be centralized by one single user account. This way, if your loved one or secret admirer wants to surprise you with some flowers, they can check the Floral Gift Registry for your name, email address, or username, etc. and see what you might like to get.
The registry would retain links to each merchant's items and contain current availability and pricing information, regardless of when the item was added. (Discontinued items would be deleted automatically, along with an automatic notification email to the registered user.)
Ordering one or more of the items in the registry should be as easy as clicking the item's link and adding to the Floral Gift Registry Shopping Cart (along with delivery date info, payment info, etc.) The registered user should have already stored pertinent details regarding delivery locations and times (such as a workplace address and work hours, etc.) in their registry account, so no research needs to be done by the shopper. A note, such as "I love the burst of colors and textures in this one" or "these remind me of my first Valentine" by the user can be included in each item, to further help potential shoppers.
I think a site like this would help the floral industry's sales and allow pricing to be lowered for two reasons: competition with other florists, and better sales boosting profits. Those desiring flowers as a gift will have a better chance of receiving something they like, and those wishing to get flowers for others will have a useful and efficient database of information to use, increasing the odds of actually going through with the floral purchase.
That being said, I love being surprised with a delivery of a nice bouquet of flowers at the office. I like colorful tulips, roses, lilies, sunflowers...
flowers and their traditional meanings
http://www.800flora...om/care/meaning.asp
[po, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]
[link]
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a daisy for you, XS. its the thought that counts. |
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Or maybe you'd rather have a rose? |
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I think it would be more touching if the giver used one of the old fashioned methods like ask one of your friends/relatives, or subtly brought up the subject in conversation.
Otherwise it seems to me like a way to earn a few brownie points by means of a cheap bit of administration.
I would personally be much more flattered if someone remembered that I once said I like fish, and so later bought me some kippers, rather than looking this up on a website. Of course, if it would be more likely to happen in the first place with the existence of the website then that might be different. I mean, anything to receive more kippers as gifts. A romantic I may be, but a fool I am not.
Or you could just give something that everyone likes - like a croissant. |
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[sild]: //I think it would be more touching if the giver used one of the old fashioned methods like ask one of your friends/relatives, or subtly brought up the subject in conversation. // |
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Sure, that's all good and nice, but this is a proactive way for the potential recipient to subtly (or not-so-subtly) indicate his/her own preferences to a potential giver. Sometimes the giver needs a little help. |
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Hm... I was staying out of it until that last anno. I have issues with the concept of 'pro-active recipient'. Registries make a statement, which in my opinion, is along the lines of "I expect you're probably going to give me a gift, so don't waste your time on something I don't want." |
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I don't care for telling people what you want them to give you, sorry. If someone is kind enough to give a gift, accept and appreciate the gesture. Don't bicker about what you'd rather have gotten. |
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This is not about "bickering" about what you get, it's about letting people know what you like. There are no requirements, just the publicizing of preferences. They are to be taken or ignored as needed. |
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I confused my point there, I'm sorry. The essence of what I was saying is this: I think it's wrong to tell people what you want them to give you. |
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For two reasons.... 1) I think it's wrong to presume that people will give you things. 2) I think it's better to accept what people choose to give you or their own accord, something they think you will like. |
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The unstated part of this is that a person uses a registry because they think they are likely to get things they might not like otherwise. It just topples the whole point of giving. |
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Besides all that, how can you be surprised by a gift you picked out yourself? |
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Although it wouldn't seem so by this idea and my annos, I do agree with you: true gifts are given freely and without pretense or expectation. This idea encourages the all-too-common practice of giving in other ways, however. You may think it is wrong, and choose not to participate, but others way be delighted to find a specific item already known to please the recipient. |
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Also, consider the dilemma of risking the recipient's displeasure upon opening a gift you've given, simply because you didn't do your homework. Is it wrong for the recipient to be displeased with any gift? Sure, nobody likes to frown upon a gift, but it is bound to happen. (Think Lisa Simpson receiving a meat pie for a gift from Homer.) Why not make a tool available to help the chances of delight? Isn't delight the point of giving gifts in the first place? |
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Gift registries for all sorts of items already exist and are widely used - this one just happens to include a new category of gifts: flowers. |
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// Is it wrong for the recipient to be displeased with any gift? // |
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Yes, it is. While you may be less than thrilled with the actual item given, you should be thrilled that someone thought to give you something, and that is exactly what giving is about. |
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You've beaten me down. I don't deserve a gift. |
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I think it's a decent enough idea. For those against,
imagine it like this. Person B wants to get Person G
some flowers. Person B does not know if Person G
is allergic to any particular flowers... |
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Ahh, but [waugsqueke] might say that it would be admirable, perhaps a prerequisite, for the giver to find this all out about the recipient by being charming. |
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