How to Guard Against Damages in Shipment


December 11, 2020

If you’ve been in the industry for very long, you’ve likely experienced damages during shipment. We do everything we can to ensure the plants’ safety, but once they leave our hands, we cannot control how they are handled.

We pack the boxes as tightly as possible. We use cardboard pads to keep the trays in place and cut down the box to minimize the empty space. Additionally, we’ve removed all excess text from the box so that the eye is drawn to the up arrows and “Live Plants” text.

But there are a couple of things that you can do to help protect your plants.

 

What can you do to guard against damages in shipment?

 

Maximize Your Boxing

Our order minimum for rooted orders is four trays. We’ve noticed that larger boxes get tossed around a lot less than the smaller ones for obvious reasons. Depending on the size of the plants, we can fit 6-8 trays in our largest box. Keep this in mind when placing your order to give your plants the best chance at success.

Order in Full Trays

We created custom assorted trays because we want you to be able to order exactly what you want. However, the majority of damages that we see are on orders with custom assorted trays. When you order in quantities of 25, 35, 50, or 70, the plants aren’t held as tightly in the tray. We are working on different shipping methods for this product (because we know you love them). And we do everything we can to keep the plants safe. But for now, they don’t travel as well.

Educate Your FedEx Driver

We think that one of the biggest factors in how your box is handled is the education and awareness of the individual carriers. We’re continually working to educate our FedEx drivers on the uniqueness of our industry. We think it would help you to do the same. Get to know your FedEx drivers. Offer them a cup of hot chocolate or a bottle of water. Building a good relationship will go much further than any amount of lecturing could.

How to approach this conversation

Remember that the driver has a job to do, so he’ll likely be in a rush and will be unable to stand around and talk. We try to help our FedEx driver unload his truck. This opens up a nice opportunity to chat. But remember to be kind. The FedEx driver isn’t the bad guy. He’s doing his job the way he’s been trained to. He doesn’t know that he’s damaging your plants.

 

While you’re helping unload his truck or offering him that water bottle, tell him about what you do. (You order baby plants in.) And point out that’s what he’s delivering. Then tell him what you do when the plants arrive. Again, be polite. Bring up the fact that sometimes they get broken in shipment. And that damages in shipment are a major threat to our industry. Do not blame the driver. Also, mention that if you’re not out front to accept the package, you’d appreciate it if they left it inside your greenhouse so the plants do not freeze or burn up in the sun (depending on the season).

How to Conclude the Conversation

Finish the conversation by thanking your driver. He works hard, and thanking him is a small gesture that can go a long way — that is, if you’ve kept your cool thus far. Understand that this one conversation may not solve the issue. It will take regular conversations with your driver. Establish a good relationship with them. This could improve the shipment process, and it could make everyone’s day better.

 

In Conclusion, we know how upsetting damages in shipment can be. We hate it too. If your plants are damaged when they arrive, here’s a video on what to do. We’re going to take care of you. Let the FedEx driver know what’s happened, but do so in a calm and polite way. We feel like a good, happy relationship will go much further than a negative one.

 

Sign Me Up For Discounts!