It’s garden bloggers asking the tough questions
This last week has proven an idea I have had, and maybe you shared. There are two distinct horticultural industries. There are those who service the chains and box stores, and those who service the rest of us. We are not saying one is better than the other, but they are distinct.
What works for them may not be what works for us. When asked by a garden blogger at the IGC show about what nurseries should do with overgrown plants a representative from Proven Winners said, “IGC (Independent Garden Centers) should send the plant back to the wholesaler for potting up.â€
Reading a comment at Garden Rant concerning this subject a commenter said, “The Home Depot’s program is Pay-by-Scan but also is better described as Vendor Managed Inventory. The grower works closely with the Home Depot merchant/buyer in driving the business with the best varieties, highest quality and most competitive prices to beat their primary competition, Lowes, in offering the customer value and quality they will return for. If a grower is not up to the task, another grower steps up to assume this lucrative business. The model works for growers who can produce merchandise, replenish and water quality plants. Plants that loose their sales appeal are taken back to the nursery and rejuvenated or composted. In most of the country, The Home Depot has the best garden centers and their business continues to grow despite the economy. Where Home Depot’s are located close to quality IGC’s, both prosper and there is a need for both. I can assure you, quality is winning in
Here is comment from nurseryperson Chris directly following the above, “Rick-went to your blog because your comment sounded so positive about Home Depot garden centers being the best. No wonder, you’re one of their suppliers. Do you offer the same level of service to IGC’s that you offer to HD, at the same pricing? Just wondering.”
Thanks Chris, I and lot’s of IGC’s out there are wondering the same thing. Again, there is nothing wrong with what the box stores and their suppliers are doing. Just don’t try and tell us that the playing field is level, or that IGC’s have the same opportunities that box stores have with their vendors. Of course we don’t. I could hear the laughter coming from IGC’s all over the world when Proven Winners said, “send the plant back to the wholesaler for re-potting”
A new day is dawning! Thank Goodness we have garden blogger’s out there asking the tough questions.
Like Chris and other IGC’s everywhere, we are still wondering…
Great discussion on IGCs going on here and at Barbara’s post. I have added a link at the top of her post to your posts, Trey, and moved hers up a bit at Rant.
I’m not a journalist, so I failed to follow up on my hard-hitting question to Proven Winners. I’m sure they were surprised to get that kind of question out of the blue at the IGC show. Let’s hope this discussion will produce changes that will benefit IGCs, which, in turn will benefit IGC customers.
-Barbara
Trey, I hope you don’t mind if I take this opportunity to rant about hardgoods suppliers and the box stores. At the IGC show there were booths for Scotts, Hines, Bayer and Commerce Corporation, which is now also a major sponsor of the show. Now all of these companies deal with the big boxes, so what I really wanted to do was ask the reps for each of these companies what they were doing there.I don’t know how either Hines or Bayer could justify their attendence.
Of course Scotts has come out with a limited line of ‘Independent Only’ products, which we will not be carrying.Not just because its too little too late, but based more on the fact that we don’t think the product is very good.
Commerce is a distributor that I think tries very hard to help the independents. But I found it kind of funny that the chairman addressed the opening morning crowd by touting how we all had to work together to fight the big boxes, at the same time that his company had rededicated it’s local warehouse to serving only the box stores. Meaning that the product that used to come to us from the very next city now has to come from Baltimore.
I know that box stores can buy things for less than I can, and often sell the same item for less than I can buy it. That’s why we try to find the best products to sell, which, more often than not, are from companies other than Scotts or Bayer. I just don’t like when these companies want me to believe that they are really trying to help me beat the box stores.
And now I’ll step off the soap box.
Eliz,
It’s a interesting conversation we are having. Thanks for moving it up where people can read, and digest what’s going on.
Mr. McGregor’s Daughter,
That’s what’s so cool about garden bloggers asking the tough questions. The customer and gardener is finally able to address the powers that be. This is great news for the garden centers,vendors, and allied businesses that listen to what is being said. There is a certain loss of control for a business, but what is a business but a sum of it’s customers?
Chris,
I don’t begrudge the box stores and their vendors the right to service their very large market. It’s interesting how independent nurseries are starting to see the fragmentation of the industry, and wonder why they support brands, or companies that service the box stores. We need to differentiate ourselves form the boxes.
I once worked at an independant garden centre and proudly did so. I knew what we offered for sale was well taken care of, fertilized, pruned, watered and weeded when necessary. If a supplier offered inferior products, we dropped them. Our prices from the supplier are higher than what box stores pay simply because they order in volume. Imagine hundreds of Home Depots ordering from one supplier. Reduced prices are offered for volume sales. IGCs simply cannot compete in that fashion. They do, however, offer great service and quality cared for plants and great advice.
There are three types of vendors. Those who proudly sell only to independents. Those who sell only to box stores. Those who sell to both. Many of those who sell to both would like the independent to believe that the “expanded market” bringing new people into gardening is a good trade off for a hyper-competitive marketplace. It may be better for them. It may also be better for the independent if selling to the boxes provides enough volume to achieve economies of scale necessary to stay in business so the independent has access to the product. This is probably true but if so at least the vendor can be up front about that rather than justifying with the “bringing new customers to the market” theory.
My wife once asked a friend who is a general surgeon if he considered a particular type of surgery to be major or minor. He said it to him as a surgeon it was minor, but to him as a patient it was major. When it comes to competition it is easy for the seller to look at competition as a small thing. When you’re the independent retailer it is anything but a small thing. The increased competition from box stores has hurt ALL independents, and despite the best efforts will continue to do so.
Creating a true competitive advantage (not just difference) is always the answer.
boy, I was away from the computer for a much needed vacation this weekend and missed all the blogging action! I second this appreciation for gardenbloggers asking these questions and facilitating these discussions. I’ve been wondering why no one in the last 5 years or so has been REALLY talking about these issues. It’s about time. You can learn a lot about your suppliers on how they answer these hard questions, (or fail to answer them)
Hi Trey Im a new reader of your blog. I have been gardening for about 40 years, ever since I was a teenager in the Bay Area. In my old age I’ve become a rose/perennial/bulb enthusiast. In the past, I usually bought the slugbait at the big box stores but I always bought my plants at the nurseries because they cared for their plants better. Over the last 10 years I have watched with dismay as these same nurseries have switched their focus from plants to all sorts of gardening paraphenelia. I guess this is in tune with the trend to put gnomes and furniture in backyards instead of those pesky plants that have the tendency to die out. (Who would have thought that you have to water them?) As a result I now buy most of my plants online from companies that specialize in whatever plant I want. I realize its hard to compete in price with the big box stores but its pretty depressing to see nurseries abandoning their core purpose. I think in this economic downturn many will suffer the same fate as the big boys like Jackson and Perkins. In my opinion they tried to be all things to all people instead of focusing on what they did well. That used to be roses.
Now its survival.
Big daddies like Scott’s have turned agricultural commodities into their sluts. Take for example Peter’s Professional Fertilizer. What was a good thing was bought out and changed for the worse. Another example is they bought out Whitney Farms soils. I sold 4 bags of Whitney’s to an old couple. The first bag they opened was outrageously filled with sprouting grass. They returned all others and when I asked they said they wouldn’t buy soil ever from me. Every bag I used for planting up was nice and I sold out of it and weeded out the bad bag they returned.
Down to using Miracle Grow off the more expensive soil pallet. It smells like shit.
Scott’s truck driver said he’s offered free soil. He doesn’t choose Miracle Grow because he said they’re squirting some freaky stuff into it.
Am unsuccessful. May know abies till zelkova. After half a lifetime of choosing plants for a career it hurt’s to change.
Ouch! Plants are whores because some devalue earthly delights in favor of computerized connections.
It hurts to whine in the computerized connection.
With all my mouthing off I’m out of a job.