1-800-Flowers.com Review

My wife enjoys getting flowers, and I enjoying sending them to her in those odd little times when she is really not expecting them; usually four or five times a year, and never on the same date.  My first choice for these little fragrant colorful slashes of romance is the local florist where I can pick up fresh roses, or lilies.  But in the off season I like to get her something special, some thing out of the ordinary; like tulips from Holland in the spring.  On those occasions I turn to 1800Flowers.com.     

The Site

One of the first things you notice about the 1800Flowers.com web site is how colorful and eye-popping it is.  Rich colors and hues ooze from the site, beckoning to the potential buyer, drawing you in, enticing you to explore. 

Where once 1800Flowers.com only offered flowers and plants, the site now offers a plethora of gifts for almost every occasion or event; these can be accessed from tab that line the top of the site, and include:

• Flowers: Still the staple of the 1800Flowers.com, the site offers a wide variety of flora both domestic and imported.  Choices include the perennial favorite, roses, as well as sunflowers, wildflowers, tulips, lilies, and others. Other gift items like teddy bears, cakes & cookies, and chocolates are included with some of the flower arrangements, while others can be professionally arranged.  There are numerous sub-categories, including, Spotlight, Everyday Celebration, Sentiments, By Brand, Department, and By Price.  These sub-categories are broken down into more sub-categories, giving the potential buyer a martyred of purchasing choices.   
• Plants: from juniper, to cactus, lavender to rose bushes, and all plants in between; 1800Flowers.com delivers.  As in the flower section, plants can be bundled with other items, and are searchable via sub-category.  
• Gourmet: Food, food, and more food are the themes of this hearty and tasty section.  In this section you will find a rich assortment of foods, from decorative and functional fruit (fresh as well as dry) & vegetable baskets, gourmet cheeses, turkey, coffee and tea baskets & trays, sausage and cheese baskets, wines and spirits, etc.
• Sweet Shoppe: chocolates, cookies and cakes festoon this section of 1800Flowers.com. Here there is a hodgepodge of sweets guaranteed to satisfy the sweet tooth of that special someone.  Chocolate candy (including Godiva, and Mama Moore's Sweets & Confections), chocolate cheesecake, chocolate covered strawberries, nuts & pretzels, assorted cakes, cookies (chocolate ship, gingerbread, oatmeal raisin etc.), are just some of the items you will find here. 
• Unique Gifts: looking for a teddy bear, jewelry, a dried Lavender wreath, a baby gift set, scented candles, or colorful topiary?  Then this is the section for you; think eclectic. 

Shipping & Handling

1800Flowers.com adds shipping charges to all purchases.  The price of shipping will vary depending on a number of variables; i.e. item ordered, desired delivery date and speed of service, number of items purchased, and the amount of the total item.  See the web site of a comprehensive listing of shipping charges broken down by category.  Also be aware of the ubiquitous service charge of $9.99 that every on-line florist seems to charge.  This charge is in addition to shipping charges.  My, this order is starting to add up!     

From the Site: Florist Delivery Information-the service charge for all florist-fulfilled products delivered within the Continental U.S. (including Alaska, Hawaii and Canada) is $9.99. These are items offered on our Flowers channel and are indicated as being delivered by a Florist on the product page.

My Viewpoint

In the five odd years I have been using 1800Flowers.com I have for the most part been satisfied with the product and the level of customer service.  1800Flowers.com flower usually come fresh and last upwards to a week, or more.  There was one occasion when an order of Tulips arrives looking rather worn, and soon died.  1800Flowers.com not only replaced the flowers with fresh ones, but sent me a coupon for discounts off my next two orders.  Delivery has always been on-time, however on one occasion, the UPS delivery person failed to notify my wife that he had dropped off flowers (in the middle of winter, with snow on the ground), and the roses froze and died.  Although it was not 1800Flowers.com's fault they once again replaced the flowers free of charge. 

So while 1800Flowers.com is not my first choice for a fresh floral arrangement or bunch of flowers-I prefer the local florist, they are a reliable, if not pricy backup when I lack the time to shop local.  All things considered 1800Flowers.com remains my first choice in on-line florist.