By
Bob Phibbs
Updated November 22, 2024
Running a successful nursery or garden center isn’t just about having the healthiest plants or the widest selection of tools—it's about creating an experience that keeps customers coming back.
Exceptional customer service and knowledgeable staff are the roots of a thriving business. Whether you’re helping a novice gardener pick their first perennial or guiding an experienced landscaper through their next big project, how you interact with customers can make or break their loyalty. So, the question is: Is your garden center growing customer relationships—or letting them wither on the vine?
Garden center retail stores should be the best places to find great customer service. But, maybe I’m spoiled...
Here's how garden center retail used to work ...
When I lived in Long Beach, there was a garden center called Park. You could walk in there, and six or seven people were behind the register, approaching, to the side, or in front of the counter.
When they saw you, they came over to see how they could help you. Their customer service training had them take you to what you needed, and their retail sales training suggested alternatives.
While ringing up the sale, they always asked, “And the planting mix for that?” and offered plastic for the car so the dirt and water from the pots wouldn't ruin your trunk or seats.
It was a great experience.
It was busy and fully stocked, and wait times were short. I spent thousands creating my dream gardens. They were so busy that they were purchased by Armstrong Garden Centers, which kept that tradition alive.
This is how garden center retail works for many nurseries today ...
Now I live in upstate NY…
It started Saturday with a hunt for hanging geraniums to fit in two specific pots.
I proceeded to my garden center retail store, with the BUY LOCAL sign plastered on the front, and spent about a half-hour looking fruitlessly for the geraniums among all the beautiful plants.
Employees came and went, watering the flowers without even turning to acknowledge me or anyone else in their vicinity. They didn't have what I needed, so I left.
I remembered hearing about a nursery center as one of the best in the area. So I drove an hour north, got out of my car with a red bushel basket the perfect size I needed, and opened their door.
A young woman turned to me, said, "Hi,” and quickly turned away. I walked out to where the plants were. I went from greenhouse to greenhouse looking for geraniums and finally found them.
I had to pull up each plant marker to try to find hanging varieties—all in vain. Five employees came around talking to each other, oblivious to my search with the red basket or the other people in the greenhouse. All they could talk about was the weather and their weekend.
After 45 minutes, I left with nothing and drove to a competitor.
I finally got a guy to pull down two pots of hanging geraniums from seven feet above me, and then he left. I decided to cut my nursery visit short. With no more than a “Cash or charge?“ I paid the cashier and started to leave.
Then I spotted a group of “squirrel-proof” bird feeders on a far wall, so I headed over. I found one I really liked which cuts off the food supply for squirrels. Perfect.
$90? It’s worth it. I'm not too fond of squirrels eating all of the food.
I grabbed some bird food and headed back to the cashier. The cashier had two people in line with cartfuls of plants, ringing them up slowly. I realized this could take a while.
After a few minutes more, I pulled out my iPhone, scanned the bird feeder in my hand, and found it online for $35 with free shipping. I put theirs back on the shelf and left.
The next day, I needed some more plants and supplies and wanted to visit a garden center just south of me. I got to the turnoff and saw their sign, "OPEN 9:30-6." It was 8:30 a.m., so I drove past them to Lowe's.
I left Lowe’s about an hour later with over $450 of garden merchandise.
I decided to try the local garden center, which was open by now. I pulled in, and signs posted all around said, "Cash or Check ONLY." I left for home.
On the way, I pulled into a garden center I passed to see if they had any English Ivy since they took credit cards and Lowe’s was sold out. They did, but no one said anything to me except, "Cash or charge?"
Does "Buy Local" mean settling for non-existent or untrained service?
A laissez-faire attitude toward shoppers? A lack of hospitality?
I would love to compete against any of these stores. Here's how:
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Have the prettiest, healthiest plants in the world. But also have an abundant, knowledgeable sales staff to handle the demand. Especially during spring, your high season.
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Have more than one cashier, and they better hustle and call someone if more than one customer is waiting.
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Cashier training is needed to anticipate what customers will need and make suggestions to everyone.
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Be open when customers want to buy, not when it is convenient for you.
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Take payment how customers want to pay you, not so you can save two measly percent. It's not 1941, cash businesses don't get the big sales.
Garden center retail must improve to survive!
If it is hard for a garden center employee to say, “What a great day for planting!” or“How can we make your yard more beautiful?” OR help a young mother carry three petunia baskets and comment on how pretty they look... why keep them? To water plants?
This isn't limited to nursery centers; similar points could be made about restaurants, hardware stores, toy stores, apparel stores—you name it.
Let's fix what's broken.
