Ever buy from the red light flower guy?

In My Humble Opinion
1

You know, the red light flower guy/girl. He walks up and down the median at busy intersections selling flowers. Almost always hispanic, almost always selling roses. They are everywhere on Valentine’s Day, but also at certain intersections in certain locales year-round. I have several questions about these guys:

  1. Do you have these guys in your city? (we have them everywhere around DC)

  2. Have you ever seen anyone buy flowers from him? (I have never in my life actually seen them make a sale)

  3. Have you ever bought flowers from one of these guys? (I have not, nor has anyone I know)

Now, I’ve seen the same guys/gals doing this every day for years and never seen them make a single sale, but obviously it’s got to be worth their time and effort to do it, right? Where do the flowers come from? Do they grow them or buy them? How much do they make per day? Are they working together or is each flower guy running his own operation?

Anyone know anything about these guys?

2

Yes, we have them in our city. We bought roses from one once. They wilted very quickly. Not a good idea to buy roses without being able to check the stems.

3

They buy the flowers from the same wholesalers local flower shops buy from, but they buy the ones that are too old for legitimate florists to use so they get them very cheaply. They won’t last long.

4

My DH has a habit of buying me roses like this on date nights. There are several street vendors that are regulars near where we like to go to the movies. The flowers don’t last long, but they are cheap. DH likes to buy them because the vendor “is actually doing something to earn a living” rather than panhandling in an incompetent manner. I suppose it’s no different from my habit of giving street musicians (especially violinists) money.

5

No, but…

when I was fifteen or sixteen, we went on a mandir (temple) sponsored trip to India day in NYC. We were driving back in a big yellow school bus, and stopped at a red light where there was this young handsome man selling these flowers. All of the girls were half hanging out of the window screaming for the man to give them a flower. I was shy and demure, so I wasn’t screaming. His eyes caught mine and mine caught his, and I smiled shyly…

and he gave me a red rose. I was the only girl who got one.

I occasionally think about that flower seller and that moment of connection with another human being.

And that’s my flower seller story. :slight_smile:

6

The only one I know of who is out every day is set up at an intersection with a hospital on one corner and a cemetery on another. I’ve seen him make a couple sales.

7

No. There are mobile roadside flower vendors in Orlando, though.

Occasionally, yes, but again, I’d be slightly more inclined to purchase stuff from a vendor who wasn’t impeding traffic like your example.

No. As a matter of fact I’ve never bought anything from roadside vendors (except once or twice when I went with friends to an after-hours off-license meat truck in college, but I wouldn’t just go without someone to vouch for their reputation.)

8

I’ve never understood how these type of vendors are legally allowed to wander through busy intersections. It seems crazy. Is there any record of a vendor ever being struck by a vehicle while hawking their wares?

9

Yup, more than once right where you turn off H street to get on 95 South in DC, always because I was on my way to visit my mom. Sometimes there are people selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts there.

10

I don’t think I’ve ever seen this in Boston. Maybe downtown, but I’ve worked downtown.

11

Easter lilies a few times on the way to visit my Mom. These are live plants in the pot, so last if you take care of them, which she does.

I changed my policy and stopped several years ago though - it’s just too dangerous to encourage. I notice them far, far less often now.

12

Location, location, location.

That may well be the most disturbing phrase I’ve encountered in some time. (I mean, I know what you’re talking about and would TOTALLY buy from one somebody I trusted had vouched for but … still … It’s just too bad-horror-movie-sounding. :eek:

13

Oooooh, the red traffic light. I was sitting here for the longest time wondering if you were talking about a guy selling flowers in the red light district or something.

14

Nope. I’d consider buying a rose from a guy on the street, but I’d never buy one from a guy in traffic. I hate it when people try to sell things or pandhandle at red lights; they know you’re a captive audience, and it’s obnoxious to avoid hitting them in the intersection.

15

There’s one here in Memphis on Jackson every once in a while. My Mig would get them for me all the time. I had no idea they were any worse than florist flowers, but I’ve never had florist flowers. Not even once now that I think about it!

16

I’ve sold flowers at stoplights in DC… And candles in NY, potpourri pies in malls in the Midwest.
We would roll the bunches in a warehouse outside of town and stand in the rain all day selling flowers. There isn’t much money in it.

17

No, but I did buy a coconut from a red light coconut guy.

In L.A., flower and fruit vendors are all over the place peddling their wares at red lights. Most of the fruit is sold in large boxes. The guy I bought the coconut from sliced open the top and stuck a straw in. It made a tasty afternoon drink/snack. I think the vendors should try selling drinks and snacks more often. Personally, I’m more likely to buy something I can eat right there.

ETA: An additional story. There used to be a guy on an intersection in the nicer part of Inglewood who I think was Nation of Islam. He was dressed in a suit and tie and had a box of newsletters and pies. But he never tried to sell me a pie! Discrimination against white girls! I wanted a pie!

18

I have sold flowers on the street. Back many years ago, in Toronto. I was a uni student and as a mature student, my funding was based on my own income, so every dime I made, at my day job in an office, had to be accounted for. If I wanted pocket money, I’d have to come up with something off the books.

I met another girl who did it. It was all girls then, and, in that city, not in traffic, mostly on busy street corners, occasionally in bars, (too easy like shooting fish in a barrel!). The guy that ran it had a cube van full of red roses, two huge dogs and drove around refilling and checking on the girls, through out the night, till past when the bars let out. Sometimes shifting people around.

Then he’s scoop us all up, we’d pay him off, and he’d drive us home. We actually had a lot of fun, bouncing around in that van, giggling, comparing nights, and fighting for space with the damn dogs, who looked intimidating and were really big ol’ babies!

Never really felt in danger, soon felt part of a community of street people who were watching out for each others. Beat cops, Hari Krishna, other vendors, homeless teenager, hot dogs guys, you get the idea.

I only did it one summer, and somewhere in an old photo album, I think, is a grainy photo taken on Yonge St circa 1980 or so, in which I look every inch the part!

I made good cash and met nice people, always had fun. Then one afternoon, I sold ‘Praise The Lord’, balloons outside a Billy Graham speaking engagement at the Gardens. Felt a little guilty for that one, it was indeed too easy, and a little too profitable for a short gig.

And the summer was over and I was done, never saw the girls or the guy again! An experience I’m glad to have undertaken when I was young bold and, perhaps, foolhardy.

19

I don’t think that I’ve ever heard of one. However, in my experience, what happens is that a purchaser decides to buy a flower (or whatever) just as the light turns green, and then holds up everyone until the light turns red again. Or someone who isn’t making a left turn decides at the last minute that he HAS to have that damned flower, cuts in front of people who are in the lane because they want to, you know, make a frigging left turn, and then screws up the traffic pattern for everyone for at least a couple of cycles.

I’ve also had some of the sellers ask me for money. “Hey lady, if you don’t want a flower, got some spare change?” and try to guilt me into giving money. Fortunately, I drive a car with air conditioning these days. Well, AC that actually works, so I can keep the windows rolled up.

I don’t think that selling or soliciting for money should be legal on street corners. It’s a traffic nuisance, any way you look at it.

20

Great post from elbows.

That’s the story with this stuff. People who really could use some money choosing to take an off the books job rather than panhandling or robbing convenience stores.

An entrepreneur / hustler / motivated person with a bit of money locates a flower wholesaler and buys flowers that are too close to their expiration date to sell to brick & mortar florists (they have a reputation to uphold … can’t sell flowers that wilt in a day or two and stay in business.) He really is an entrepreneur – he risks his own money buying flowers and hiring people to sell them … and the wholesaler is happy to get even a little money for flowers he would otherwise have to throw in the dumpster the next day.

Sometimes it might be a person trying to finance a cult or whatever, but basically, it is just a person with a bit more get-up-n-go than average and a little bit of money who gets an idea and takes a chance with it.

You can easily spend $50 or $100 for a dozen roses from a florist, so buying one for a few bucks is not a great ripoff even if it only lasts a day or two. It can be the sweet touch that becomes the panty remover on a date or the mood changer when you know the wife is gonna be in a foul mood when you get home.

Don’t worry. Be happy. Buy a flower.