Flower Shop Au - Tumblr Posts

A Guide to Working in a Flower Shop for People Who Want to Write Flower Shop AUs

Disclaimer: I have worked in exactly one flower shop. I’ve worked there for over a year, but this doesn’t give me knowledge of the whole industry. Also my boss is a fucking nightmare, so there’s that.

1. Misconceptions

Everybody/nobody actually knows the language of flowers. Some florists do, like me, because I’m a nerd. Some don’t. The main point is that flower meaning, while fun and sometimes helpful, comes second to what looks good and what’s available.

Greenhouses/Growing plants in the shop. That doesn’t really happen? We have some potted plants and succulents and some orchids, but we’re not a garden/houseplant store really, and we aren’t really the place to go for advice on keeping your house plants alive. We get our flowers from wholesalers who get them from growers. The majority of the time, we have nothing to do with growing the flowers.

Putting together a bouquet is easy. Look, there’s a reason you hire other people to do it. Not everything looks good, and you need to have a good sense of color and shape to put together a good-looking bouquet. That said…

Putting together a bouquet is hard. It’s not that hard. You learn the basics and it’s pretty simple. Work in odd numbers because that helps round things out. Use filler flowers. Most things will look good together because they’re flowers. If you want to get into vase arranging and fancy shit then yeah, it’s hard. But if you’re just putting together a basic bouquet, it’s not as hard as you think it is.

Florists know all about flowers. I’ll grant you we know more than your average person, but there isn’t like, florist school where you learn the names of everything and how long it lasts and shit. I mean, there are classes you can take, but they’re not actually necessary to being a florist? I majored in psychology and here I am. We’re learning on the fly here, and your average assistant at a flower shop is going to run into flowers they don’t know sometimes.

2. Tasks Your Florists Can Be Doing at Work

Obviously, there’s your customer assistance and bouquet making, but there’s a lot of work, and much of it is really not glamorous.

Processing flowers - unpackage, strip off the bottom leaves, and re-cut the stems, this is done when we get new flowers in

Processing roses - takes forever, includes getting rid of thorns, roses are a bitch to process and thank god my coworker actually likes doing that

Re-cutting flower - every few days, everything should get a fresh trim and some new, clean water so they stay fresh

Bleaching buckets - we bleach everything. It’s terrible. Most of it is vases and buckets that we keep the flowers in but also coolers.

Pretty much any cleaning - floristry is messy work, there will be petals and leaves and dirt all over, and we clean a lot. I probably clean more than I make bouquets…aaand now I’m sad.

Making pre-made bouquets - sometimes people want to just grab something and go, so we need to keep some pre-made bouquets in stock.

Wedding work - a huge part of our business’s profit comes from weddings, and they take a lot of work, including:

 Making bridal bouquets

 Making boutonnieres and corsages (also done for prom and other events)

Making centerpieces (also done for many other events)

Wedding consultations (the soon-to-be-spouses consult with the designer on what they want their wedding to look like and how much it will cost)

Packing up and delivering

Watering plants - if we do keep live plants, we have to take care of them

Filling water tubes - if you’re buying flowers and won’t put them in water for over an hour, we put these neat little tubes of water on the ends so they don’t dry out. You know how we get those tubes full of water? We fill them. By hand. Put them in a bucket of water and then put the little caps on. It takes forever. We do it anyway.

Taking orders - people order over the phone or online, I spend a lot of time on the phone trying to talk people through the ordering and delivering process

3. Things a Florist Hears Too Often

“Wow, this must be such a nice place to work!” and variations. (It’s not. Like, it is, because I love flowers and making arrangements and stuff, but it’s not because it’s retail, and my boss is a nightmare.)

“How long will these last?” (I don’t know. I never know. “About a week,” I say. I don’t know that. No one does. Probably about a week though.)

“I don’t really know anything about this, haha.”/ “You’re the expert!” (when I ask what flowers they want. You know what you want better than I do. Please just tell me. I can’t put a bouquet together for you if I don’t know what you want.)

“Where do these flowers come from?” (For us, mostly Holland, Ecuador, and Cambodia. No, it’s not local. Yeah, that sucks. I know. I just work here.)

“That’s expensive.” (No shit. Flowers cost money. We shipped these overseas so your ungrateful ass could buy peonies in the middle of winter. Get over it.)

Keep reading

rockabye

With the sting of your divorce renewed by the winter chill in the air, you certainly weren’t looking for anything like love this Christmas. But even flowers can blossom from deep within the snow.

Pairing: Taehyung x Female Reader

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Flower Shop AU

Word Count: 8,900+

Warnings: Profanity; Alcohol; Physical assault; Physical and verbal abuse; References to drugs

A/N: The “Jaeseong” character is an original character and should not be associated with any real person of similar name. Also, this story is a rework of a story I previously wrote entitled Honeysuckle.

Read on AO3

Coffee and Violets (SUGA) CH8 - Soft Rain

(WARNING: Some angst stay positive y'all :])

(Your POV)

You stumbled out of bed, alarm blaring. A fuzzy light filtered through the blinds and into your messy apartment. After the last few days, normally you would've stayed home again. But the cafe was already closed yesterday while you were out with Yeongsun, and you can't keep it closed for much longer. 

You figured it'd be good, get your mind off things. So you had breakfast, got dressed, and walked to the cafe. 

The morning air was cold, morning dew fresh and your footsteps echoing through the empty streets. You sighed as you opened the door to the cafe. The flower shop next door wasn't open yet, and most people weren't out. The day had barely even started, but when you have to make everyone else's coffee you have to be up before them.

Because when you're busy saving everyone else, who is left to save you?

You drank your coffee black and bitter this morning. It seems silly, being so heartbroken from something that hardly even started. Maybe what you missed was just the excitement of something new and different. But old is okay. The usual is comfortable. The very reason you've stopped reaching out and messaging friends and meeting new people. Someone has to forget to respond first. Someone has to care less. Someone has to move on. And it's never you.

The glass panes reflect the empty cafe, but your imagination finds something else in them. The image of Yoongi and Minsoo together. Laughing together, being together. Why is it that you've never been on a date? Why has no one asked you? Maybe everyone else is just busy. Maybe there was an odd number of soulmates and you were left. Maybe plans don't always go according to plan and you just have to be happy for everyone else who is.

Ring! Ring!

You look up at the bell that just rang as someone walks into the cafe.

(Yoongi POV)

Hoseok barges into my room at 5:30.

"C'mon... It's too early..."

"No, Yoongi! You don't get to do this. You don't get to give up all hope and hide away from everyone. I'm not letting you go there again"

I sigh, "She loves someone else, Hoba. You saw them together. She's just a nice person who was kind to me once  and I'm the fool to try and build something on such a small act"

"Then fall in love with someone else! At least get out of bed. Feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to make you feel any better, huh?"

As Hoseok leaves, I shrug the covers off and drag myself out of bed. He's right, and the shop needs us. I can't drop everything just because of a girl. Though I'd do it for her.

We arrive at the shop a while later. I start to set things up for the day.

"I'm gonna go grab us some coffee, 'kay?" Hoseok said.

I nodded in response, watching as he walks out the door and into the cafe. Her cafe. 

Memories flash back of her and him,.. what was his name, Yeongsun? She seemed so shy with him, like he made her nervous. Was it because she liked him so much? Why can't she like me that much? Maybe it's because I do stuff like this. Dwell over those I hardly knew. She might as well be an angel, there's no way a girl like her would fall for someone like me. She deserves better.

"Good news!" Hoseok yells as he runs back into the cafe.

(Your POV)

You look up at the bell that just rang as someone walks into the cafe.

"Hi Y/N!" Hoseok calls as he walks over to the counter.

You start preparing his usual, "Hey"

"So... how'd the date go yesterday?" He asks.

You groan, "Ugh.. terrible. It- Here's the thing, it wasn't even supposed to be a date!"

"What?" He asks, leaning forward. You guys had your fair share of gossip, so this was nothing new. 

"Yeah! We used to be neighbors, so he just came to drop something off from my mom. He suggested we go out and have lunch together, so I agreed. Then he was like, flirting the whole time?"

"No..."

"Yes. And it was only supposed to be lunch, but he was dragging me around to all these other places and would keep telling people we're dating"

"Gee, I'm sorry Y/N! That's awful. What did you end up doing?"

"I told him he was too much, he insulted me a bit, I walked away and cried at my apartment" You chuckled bitterly, "but it's fine. Gotta keep the shop runnin', am I right?"

He nods, "Yeah, that's what I had to tell Yoongi this morning"

You focus in at the sound of his name, "Yoongi? What about him?"

"Oh, he..." Hoseok fumbles.

"He was here a few days back with Minsoo... did they fight and break up or something?"

"No, they weren't actually dating either," He assures, "He's never been good friends with Minsoo, it's just that she's so persistant, y'know?"

"Ah..." You mumble, deep in thought.

"I think you might want to see Yoongi, I feel like there was some confusion?" He questions.

"y-yeah! Do you know if he's free later?"

"Oh, he's free right now"

(Yoongi POV)

"Good news!" Hoseok yells as he runs into the cafe.

"What?"

"She can tell you herself!" He says as Y/N shyly walks in behind him, two coffees in her hands.

She hands me one, "Can uh, can we um.."

"Let's go in the back" I suggest.

She follows behind. We sit next to each other, avoiding eye contact.

"So," She starts, "You aren't dating Minsoo?"

"NO! No, god no. She is.."

"Yeah, that's probably for the best" She laughs. I smile at her.

"But uh, you were with-"

"No, I'm not with Yeongsun. That was a mistake"

"Oh" I look down, trying to hide my grin, "w-what happened? If you don't mind me asking,"

She sighs, "He's just a neighbor, it wasn't even supposed to be a date. He just suggested it as lunch, since I thought we were friends" 

She told the rest of the story as we drank our drinks.

"I'm sorry, Y/N. That sounds really upsetting"

"Yeah, I just-" She pauses to look at the rain that started pouring out the window, "I don't know why relationships have to be so hard. I feel like..."

"like you distance yourself from people, and the second you meet someone new you become attached?" I finish before I can even think about the truth I was spilling.

She looks at me, a faint smile growing on her face, "yeah"

"I know how that feels"

We stay quiet for a few seconds. Or minutes. Or however long. We drank our coffee, looking out the window at the stormy day outside.

"listen, Yoongi, I-" She stops to look down at her watch, "Shoot! I gotta go! The cafe opens in just a few minutes!" She quickly grabs her coat and begins rushing out of the room.

"Wait-" I call out. She turns around, "Uh, I..." Is now really the time to tell her how I feel? Just because she doesn't love him doesn't mean she likes me. I don't want to get the signals wrong again, "Let me walk you back"

"Yoongi, I'm just going next door"

I smile at my name in her mouth, "Well, yeah. But it's raining"

“Merlin? Merlin, thank goodness. Listen, I got drunk last night.” “So? I’m your administrative assistant, not your priest.” “I got drunk and bought a flower shop.”

My work for @merlin-fic-server 's mini challenge flower shop au!

Aventio AU where Aventurine needs this to give to Sugalite after the messy break-up

or alternatively

one of ratio's co-workers really pissed him off and he want to give them one

hear me out. obanai flower shop au.

i am going to write this when i get the motivation, which will hopefully not be at 3 AM