Floral designers experience stressful working conditions during peak holiday seasons, such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Christmas. They feel pressured meeting unforeseen deadlines for birthdays, funerals and other occasions when additional or last-minute orders come in. Being a florist requires hard work. Expect lifting heavy containers, spending long hours on your feet, and getting few holidays off. Creativity and clearly expressing ideas visually are key skills. Self-discipline, problem-solving, and time management are desirable.
The Stress and Satisfaction of Floral Design
Floral design can be stressful since flowers perish quickly. Timing is crucial and displays can be ruined if made too early. Most stress comes from running the business smoothly. Because floral designers are artists, they don’t like having their work questioned, causing workplace problems now and then. Nasty customers aren’t that common since people buying flowers tend to be happy or grieving rather than angry. Therefore, when everything runs smoothly and designers get their space, floral design is fun.
Employment and Responsibilities
Employment for floral designers will likely decline 20 percent from 2019 to 2029 as customers order directly from big online companies instead of going to florists. Many florists will go out of business and wages will drop. Florists usually work 8-10 hour days, 5-7 days a week. Shop owners have more flexibility in hours than employees.
The main job of a florist is skillfully selecting and arranging fresh flowers into aesthetically pleasing and structurally sound arrangements. Excellent customer service skills are vital as florists work closely with customers on final products. Florists’ responsibilities also include:
- Watering plants
- Trimming stems
- Delivering orders
- Keeping workspaces clean and organized
Hours are demanding, especially around holidays like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Christmas.