KANSAS CITY, Mo. — This Sunday marks Mother's Day, and it's not too late to order flowers for the moms in your life. However, you may not get exactly what you want.
Like many things these days, it stems from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cheryl White, owner of The Fiddly Fig on Holmes, explained the impact on her supply chain.
"A lot of flowers come from all over the world, usually flown in. There's no flights or very few flights, and the flowers can't get here," she said.
The Fiddly Fig just reopened after a four-week closure. The business has a limited crew working staggered shifts to get orders ready for Mother's Day.
White posted a disclaimer on her site to let customers know flower choices are limited this year.
"We'll do our very best to make sure it looks like the picture," she said.
Most major online services have existing substitution policies allowing florists to change colors or flower varieties in arrangements.
Teleflora's website currently says that "due to flower supply challenges, our florists may make substitutions."
Regardless of where you shop for flowers, you may notice a steeper price on bouquets because there's so much demand for a limited supply.
The Fiddly Fig bumped its prices up by about 10 percent, but that still doesn't cover the true costs.
"It has gone up a little more for us, but we're always in the market for making people happy, so we're doing our best," White said.
If you order flowers before the close of business on Thursday, consider selecting delivery for Friday instead of the weekend, as White said that will take a bit of pressure off your local florist.
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