Guides
Florist SOP checklist: daily checks and handoff
A florist SOP checklist for daily standards, order entry, cold-chain checks, pricing inputs, safety records and delivery handoff, with a worked order example.
A florist SOP checklist works best when it makes the shop's recurring checks and handoffs easy to follow. This one covers order entry, processing and cold chain, pricing inputs, safety and records, and delivery handoff.
What to take away
- A floral designer's day is ordering, processing, arranging, pricing, displaying and caring for stock, plus customer consultation and delivery coordination, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Record daily checks so staff can see what was checked and flag exceptions.
- Cooler readings, received case counts, bunch counts and promised delivery windows are useful daily checks.
- Write the procedure for the task that goes wrong most often, not for the task that is easiest to describe.
- Keep the florist business plan and the daily standards in the same folder, so pricing and process stay in step.
The standards that belong on the wall
- Cooler holding temperature logged at opening and again before the afternoon run.
- Case count received checked against case count ordered.
- Stems per bunch checked against the price shown on the tag.
- Delivery window confirmed at order entry.
Standards on the wall
- TempCooler holding
- CasesReceived vs ordered
- StemsPer bunch at tag price
- WindowPromised at order entry
Post them where the bench staff can see them. A standard nobody can read from the workbench is decoration.
Worked example: one Friday order
A customer orders two dozen roses for a 2 p.m. office delivery.
- Order entry records the window, the recipient's floor, and a phone number that reaches a person.
- Bench pulls 24 stems, strips and conditions them, and logs the stem count against the tag.
- The designer builds the arrangement and photographs it before wrapping.
- The driver loads it in a cooler or an air-conditioned van, not a trunk, and leaves with time for the building's loading dock queue.
- Whoever hands it over records the time and the recipient's name.
If step 2 shows 22 stems, the order stops there. That is the whole point of counting.
Where the day actually breaks
Cold chain first. Hydrangea and stock wilt fast in a hot van, and a wilted arrangement is a refund plus a remake. Check cooler temperature at open and again before the afternoon run.
Pricing second. A bundle priced below stem cost plus labour plus waste is a donation with extra steps. Work the arithmetic in your own figures: stem cost per bunch, stems per arrangement, minutes of labour, hourly wage, and a waste allowance for the stems you throw away.
Staffing third. Holidays and wedding Saturdays need different coverage than a Tuesday. The BLS notes that demand and schedules swing with holidays and events, so build the schedule around those peaks rather than a flat weekly grid.
Safety and records
OSHA's safety management guidance asks employers to find and fix hazards before an injury or an inspection does it for them. In a flower shop that means box cutters, wet floors, step stools, and the sharp ends of floral wire.
For preservatives, cleaning chemicals and any exposure question, read the product's safety data sheet and follow your workplace safety authority. This article does not set those limits.
For recordkeeping, the IRS guidance on business records is the starting point: a system that clearly shows income and expenses, with documents behind purchases, sales, payroll and assets. Employment standards come from the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and from your state department of labor, which sets minimum wage, overtime and scheduling rules of its own. Sales tax runs through a permit from your state department of revenue, and a general business license comes from your city or county. Confirm the current requirements before your first sale.
Common questions
What should a florist's daily checklist actually contain?
Cooler temperature at open and at midday, stems received against stems ordered, order windows confirmed at entry, and a named person for each delivery run. Keep it to one page. A checklist that takes ten minutes to read will not be read on a busy Friday.
A workable version reads top to bottom: cooler temperature at open and at midday, logged with the time; stems received against stems ordered, with shorts flagged the same morning; every order window confirmed at entry with a phone number that reaches a person; each delivery run assigned to a named driver; and the day's sales matched to the day's orders at close.
How do I price a bouquet without guessing?
Start from stem cost per bunch, add the stems used, add labour minutes at your wage, add a waste allowance, then apply your markup. If you cannot name each of those figures, that is the gap to close first. Your own invoices and purchase records supply them.
Do I need a written procedure for every task?
No. Write procedures for the tasks that fail most often or cost the most when they fail: cold chain, order intake, delivery handoff, and holiday staffing. Everything else can live as a note on the bench until it proves it needs more.
How do seasonal hires change the paperwork?
Seasonal and part-time staff still fall under your state department of labor's employment standards, which set minimum wage, scheduling rules and termination notice. Federal rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act apply on top of them. Check the current requirements with your state department of labor before you post the job, not after.
