Semester
Spring
Date of Graduation
2008
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
College
Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
Department
Agricultural & Extension Education
Committee Chair
Stacy A. Gartin.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify the measures that independently owned retail garden centers subscribe to extend their profitable season beyond the spring and early summer. This study was descriptive survey research conducted with independent retail garden centers that were members of the Ohio Floriculture Association as of November 2006, and resided in West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Kentucky. The ten most successful practices in getting customers to return identified by independent garden center retailers, were (in order of successfulness); customer friendly staff, knowledgeable and experienced staff, growing your own plants to allow for diverse product mix, larger sizes of annuals, summer annuals (e. g. wave petunias), neat and clean aisles and displays, perennials, customer designed containers (greenhouse grows until pickup date), larger sizes of perennials and summer blooming perennials. The ten most successful practices in raising profit margins identified by independent garden center retailers were (in order of successfulness); customer friendly staff, knowledgeable and experienced staff, growing your own plants to allow for diverse product mix, raise prices on all items, larger sizes of annuals, custom container design (e. g. hanging baskets, patio planters), display gardens, establish a "greeter" at entrance, summer annuals (e. g. wave petunias) and customer designed containers (greenhouse grows until pickup date).
Recommended Citation
Hunt, Nona Kay, "Current practices utilized by independent garden centers to extend the profitable season by returning customers, raising profit margins and implementing new practices" (2008). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 2631.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/2631