3 On Your Side: Best Flower Shops
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Whether they're for moms, proms, or a wedding to remember - when you're looking to order flowers you'll want to choose a florist that won't wilt when you need help! With less than four days to go until Mother's Day, 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan takes a look at some of the best florists in the region, according to their customers.
When it comes to ordering a flower arrangement, Kevin Brasler, Executive Editor at Delaware Valley Consumers' CHECKBOOK says, "You're basically buying something sight unseen that is almost a work of art."
But choosing a good florist can sometimes be a thorny task. In the latest edition of Consumers' CHECKBOOK, 63 flower shops in our region were rated based on customer surveys and secret price shopping. According to Brasler, "We get a lot of complaints about late deliveries and flowers that aren't fresh anymore and florists delivering big bouquets that aren't nearly as big as they should be."
Prices can run the gamut too. Brasler says, "For a dozen long stem red roses for example we found prices ranging from 30 dollars to 90 dollars. If you have a large order it really pays to shop around."
Seven Delaware Valley florists received CHECKBOOK's top rating for price and quality. Among them are A Rose In December located in Medford, N.J., where Julie Vaughn told us, "We have a lot of customers that have been with us for years. They call, we know what they like, we know what they're looking for, we can kind of direct them and we can get the stuff in fresh."
Other fantastic florists were: CJ Sanderson and Son in Woodbury (NJ), Breger Flowers in Wilmington, Kirk's Flowers in Newark, LeRoy's Flowers in Hatboro, Marcus Hook Florists and Gifts, and Virginia Donnolo's Florist in Downingtown.
Through special arrangement with nonprofit Delaware Valley Consumers' CHECKBOOK, CBS3 viewers can access CHECKBOOK's customer service ratings of local florist shops without a subscription until Wednesday, May 21, and can view CHECKBOOK's advice indefinitely via this link: www.checkbook.org/cbs3/florists
