PROSPECT, Ky. — The price of gas is still on the rise in the Commonwealth, and local businesses are having to adjust the way they operate to cut down on costs.
What You Need To Know
- A Prospect florist is working with other Louisville florists on splitting deliveries in the wake of rising gas prices
- Louisville gas has increased a dollar on average in the last year
- It costs florists $5 to put a flower arrangement in a local delivery pool
- Many businesses are adjusting operations to cut costs
Country Garden Florist, a family-run and operated shop in Prospect, has been in business for over 40 years. Owner Jim Wilhem said his favorite part of the job is seeing his customers' reactions after receiving one of his elaborate floral arrangements.
“You can sit there and make people feel good with what you do with your hands and that's always a good thing,” Wilhem said.
Recently the shop has experienced what nearly every delivery service is currently going through: grappling with rising gas prices.
According to AAA, the current average price of gas in Louisville is $3.15 where a year ago it was a dollar cheaper at $2.14 per gallon.
“You have a whole lot of deliveries and trucks are on the road the entire time, and I'm filling up two and three times a week," Wilhem said. "I've got two trucks so you multiply that by 75 or so dollars every time you fill up and it gets to be very expensive."
Those complex logistics are why a group of 30 Louisville florists came together 30 years ago to create a delivery pool – a group of 13 florists who meet everyday to trade deliveries.
“We just divide the whole city up and it moves very swiftly so my trucks do not have to go 30 miles one way with one or two deliveries, so it really makes things a lot easier,” Wilhem said. “It keeps us from having to use a lot of gasoline and allows me to cover the whole area with one driver.”
It costs $5 to put each arrangement into the delivery pool and florists get back $2.50 for each delivery they take.
“It builds a camaraderie between the florists as well, even though we're all competitors. We all show a lot of respect to each other as well, we're all friends and it's very few people in the industry that you can say that. I mean, we're all fighting for the same thing,” he said.
Wilhem can't imagine operating his business without the help of his fellow competitors. As they say, keep your friends close and your business competitors closer.
“So the other part of the difference covers the rent and materials, boxes and so forth that have to be used for the delivery itself,” Wilhem said. “I couldn't imagine having to drive all over the city of Louisville and still be able to keep the doors open.”
According to AAA the current price of diesel gas in Louisville is $3.37, and a year ago it was $2.19.