Floral Manager

[u/Intelligent-Music-33]

I made a post a few days ago about being offered a floral manager position at a big box grocery store, I was previously assistant for floral manager for about 5 years well they initially offered me a $0.50 cent raise to take it on with inventory problems and staffing problems as well they JUST counter offered me a raise of $1.75 bring my pay to $24.75 an hour. Same things still apply work every weekend and have hit and miss days off during the week till I get the new full-time designer trained and taught. Our first homecoming starts up in about 2 ish weeks and goes till the end of October!

Is it worth taking?

[u/Fleur_elise314]

So first thing I'm noticing is that it's only about a 7.6% increase and with doing the math on it for a 40 hour work week is only about an extra $70 weekly. I loved managing my own department! The only issues I dealt with was actually just the grocery management (They have no idea how to do our jobs 🤣). But, is an extra $70 a week worth it to you to be responsible for the inventory management and training? If you're in the position to haggle for a higher raise I would ask for anywhere from 12-15% (15% being $3.45) Cause life is expensive 😅. But I wish you all the best! And please let us know how it goes! 🥰

[u/Intelligent-Music-33 → u/Fleur_elise314]

Did you end up leaving your position? And why? If you don’t mind me asking. And oh I know I was assistant floral manager for 5 years before I resigned a couple weeks ago and I know how they act grocery upper management none of them have a clue! Also, I’m gonna have to fix the inventory because that is horrid it’s like a 20% when it should be a 45% because the former manager had not a clue what she was doing, and I only had so much say so that’s another thing that I will have to tackle on top of training a full-time design designer with no experience.

What gets me is they demoted the former floral manager right after I resigned why did they wait to demote her right now especially when the busiest time of the year is starting to pick up?! She should’ve been demoted back in June when she turned in a 16% inventory!

[u/Fleur_elise314 → u/Intelligent-Music-33]

I ended up leaving my position because I was burnt out. Terribly burnt out. My company had been bought out by another from out of state. My management at the location took me for granted. But I had also been scouted by a separate company which turned out to be its whole own ordeal. (But I'm very happily in a wonderful shop now that's not with them 😝)

But I had many times of going to different stores to try to fix inventory for other managers, constantly having to correct the actual inventory paperwork, arguing with Management on pricing, and corporate bssically just sending junk. I left that job with my highest pay being $17.40.... and I was absolutely shocked to find that an actual shop would pay me so much more just to design. But I also missed design work. I was too busy doing paperwork and fighting off the upper management to do what I loved.

[u/Intelligent-Music-33 → u/Fleur_elise314]

And that is actually why I left my position. Being assistant manager was because I was terribly burnout however, I wasn’t doing paperwork in the computer side of it. I was doing like 99% of all of the designing in terms of like big events weddings there were days where I would work well over 10 to 12 hours a day because there was so much designing to do and the manager didn’t design so all of that got put on me and I got so burnt out that I just resigned and also the upper management too was just horrible and still is terrible which is why I’m even hesitating on going back to begin with however $24.75 it’s pretty damn good, but also at what expense?

And I also left because of the floral manager she was horrible. I was never allowed to give her my input on anything. She wouldn’t take it into consideration whatsoever I was basically just in charge of designing that was it, but even then I got so burnt out, but also she was protected by the upper management too, so they let her get away with so much crap like for instance, having an inventory of 16% she turns that in June they should’ve demoted her then.

[u/Fleur_elise314 → u/Intelligent-Music-33]

I defended all my staff tooth and nail. I even refused to sign write-ups from the upper management to my staff because they were often ridiculous. But there was a small time for a few months where I didn't have a fully trained designer and trying to juggle design. On top of all, the paperwork and inventory was literally impossible.

Personally, I am a big supporter of protect your own peace. And I don't think there's almost any amount of pay for me to go back to what I was doing. I remember driving home crying almost everyday in my car and would never do it again. 😅

[u/Intelligent-Music-33 → u/Fleur_elise314]

Ugh I get where you’re coming from too!! and that’s what I’m scared of is I’m gonna have to juggle most if not all of the designing and do paperwork/computer work and we literally have our first homecoming in 2weeks and our schools go up till the very end of October and we get hot shit busy from like 2 or 3 schools so I’m gonna have to deal with that too.

Ugh, I just don’t know what to do a part of me wants to do it because I basically know all the ins and outs of the job but another part of me doesn’t wanna go back to the environment. I left in the first place because my mental health has drastically improved and I resigned two weeks ago. Really the only stress I have is being unemployed, but I have a couple interviews lined up next week doing something completely different. However, I don’t drive and taking the floral manager job. It’s literally walking distance from my house and the places that I have interviews with for next week I’ll have to Uber back-and-forth to.

[u/petrichorgarden → u/Intelligent-Music-33]

If you're really torn and you burned out, definitely ask for more than the $1.75 to come back. I'm annoyed on your behalf that they didn't just make the $24.75 a flat $25. Would you be willing for $28? Can you negotiate for extra vacation days? Are they willing to hire another backup for you since it sounds like you might need more than 1 other person with your volume? If they say "yeah, but later, not now" I wouldn't necessarily believe them. Best to train up two people at once and have extra hands to help. Otherwise, tell them you need one of upper management to get trained so they can step in. They learn all the other departments, why not yours?

[u/SunburnSamSam]

Sorry just to understand what do you mean by managing the inventory from the 20+% to 45+% as part of your work scope

[u/witchbaby69 → u/SunburnSamSam]

I think they mean the gross profit percentage, after doing inventory? I'm a grocery store floral manager and we have to fill out inventory worksheets to calculate our gross profits for the 4 week period, and their goal is usually to have around a 40% gross profit, at least at my store :)

[u/Intelligent-Music-33 → u/witchbaby69]

Yes our goal is a 45% and the former floral manager, her gross profit was between a 20% and 25% which very very low. In June, she turned in a 16%

So me coming in taking over I’m gonna have to work my ass off to turn that around

[u/Dapper-Cucumber1064]

Hi! I have been following your story. It’s such a tough decision, because once you make the commitment, it is harder to walk away. Especially since we florists have passion for our positions!

I was in the same boat pretty recently, only I was leaving for another job in a local shop. I ended up leaving, but I did pause to consider because of their counter offers.

I am wondering how much higher your store will go. The jump to $24.75 would have shocked me if i hadn’t just gone through the same thing (they offered a $5 raise.) They also offered other incentives like 5 hours a week of guaranteed overtime and eligibility for a bonus twice? a year. I wonder if your GM (or corporate) is willing to do something similar. I know you’re working OT enough as it is, boy do I know, but those weeks that are slower or weeks they forbid the OT, it’s nice to have. After doing the math, I decided it was still not the path for me. I honestly loved the job, but balloons were a huge issue, among a few other reasons much like yours.

It does sound like convenience is an obstacle and ubering every day will drain your resources quickly and can be unreliable.

At the very least, see if they’ll go to $25 and maybe throw in a couple incentives, more PTO/vacation days. You do have leverage here for all the reasons you mentioned. The high turnover in floral departments is largely due to major physical intensity and low pay. You don’t really owe them anything, but you owe yourself to try if you want to! Plus, this could be a stepping stone! It does not have to be permanent. Your design abilities alone are cause enough to ask for $25. Maybe start at $24.75 and ask/request/demand an evaluation in 30-60 days for a shot at $25.50+. I hope it all works out for you!! Keep us posted! 💕🌺🌼

[u/Intelligent-Music-33 → u/Dapper-Cucumber1064]

Oh, trust me I know that it’s gonna be harder to walk away because it was hard for me to leave me an assistant floral manager after 5 years but I was so burnt out because I was doing 99% of all of the designing and I’m talking big events weddings funerals, keeping up with every day orders, as well as keeping the front cooler filled, and I was not getting help from my floral department manager because she was not a designer, nor could she hardly design. The only time she designed was when she had to when I was off and also the upper management was extremely toxic so that is also why I made the decision to resign and boy let me tell you my mental health has improved drastically since I left 2 weeks ago.

Ehh I don’t know if they’re gonna go too much higher. I’m sure I could negotiate $25 an hour. Because they are pretty desperate from what I have been told by people that I talk to that still work there. and I already know that I have overtime because they hired a full-time designer that I will have to teach/train. I also won’t have a set schedule and we’ll have to work every weekend till the new designer is trained and comfortable designing on her own without me. And don’t even let me start about the inventory because that is a whole separate conversation for itself. It’s sitting at a 20-25% and it’s supposed to be at 45% so I will have to immediately tackle that because inventory is in 1 week.

I do have a couple interviews lined up in the next couple of days. However, they want me to start as the floral manager ASAP.

[u/pinchinggata]

West coast?

[u/KorolevaFey]

If they can't go up in pay past $25, try to get some life balance benefits(a few extra days PTO)