Shoppers buying flowers for Mother's Day should expect to pay more than last year, with fuel prices, labor and shipping costs squeezing local florists. The price increases are expected to continue beyond this weekend. Most cut flowers sold in the U.S. come from Ecuador, and higher fuel costs mean higher shipping fees at every stage of delivery.
"Delivering by driving 200 miles a day, delivering the flowers, definitely more expensive. We do have more delivery fees coming from our wholesalers," said Eric Janousek, owner of Janousek Florist and Greenhouse. Janousek said he has absorbed the cost increases to avoid passing them to customers, but that will change after Sunday.
"I'd say five to ten percent— they don't notice too much. But we'll probably have to pass that along. Probably after Mother's Day — prices will change. We've changed some prices here and there, five to ten dollars per arrangement," Janousek said. A bouquet at Janousek's currently starts at around $75. A five to ten percent increase means customers could pay nearly $8 more for the same flowers they bought last year.
"Fuel prices, they're really fundamental — they feed into the overall consumer prices and put a pinch on budgets, whether that's a business budget or an individual family budget," said Dr. Ernie Goss of Creighton University.
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