Originally Posted by Mardy

I've been on the other side of this question......the florist who's managed 2 shops for non florist owners.......one was fine, but the last one was a nightmare!!!

He'd bought the shop, then employed the staff....the shop was an empty shell so we obviously needed to start with stock. Myself and the other florist made a list of things we HAD to have, the basics.....we weren't allowed to go to wholesalers with owner, he wanted to keep his purse tighly closed to us! He returned from wholesalers with one pink ceramic teddy, one blue one, 3 wreath rings, a box of oasis, 2 spool wires and 6 buckets. If we wanted ribbon he told us we could go and buy a yard of the colour we needed from curtain shop......the other florist gave up after one month, and I lasted for about 6. It was impossible, I had to beg every morning to get him to go and buy what I needed to complete orders......and he questioned all the time if I really needed it. He, obviously having no idea about floristry, kept asking why I couldn't do it with what was in the shop.

I eventually lost the will to live and couldn't face the daily battle.....