Warning - the following is slightly off-topic.
Last minute b-day present to Mom two weeks ago (sorry I forgot mom); I googled "Albuquerque Florists" and found People's Florist and Gifts website. (Being a good California flower child, I just had to order from there!) Ordered next-day delivery of their smallest fruit and snack basket of what I found out was about 10 lbs for $29.00 + tax and local delivery cost - and she go so much more than if I had gone to a place like FTD or 1-800 flowers.
About five pounds of produce that was just ripe (4 apples, 4 oranges, 2 kiwi, and a pound and a half or so of red grapes), 1 lb of chocolate candies, and about a pound and a half or so of wrapped up artesian cheeses, a local pepper dip stuff and about a half pound of assorted crackers in a large decorative basket made locally with small fresh daisies and those fern and baby's breath type filler greens braided in the handle. Next day, right on schedule. She made an apple pie, had some fresh-squeezed OJ, and some kiwi, grape and watermelon fruit salad for the next couple days, and was really happy. Much more happy than she was with the mother's day flower delivery from a national chain my brother sent.
True, if I had gotten just flowers, I'd have probably gotten something similar to what would be found nationally for pretty much the same price, because frankly, the national chains sub to places like this or use national brick and mortar shops like Conroy for their delivery - if you're lucky. A decade or so back I have received flowers from a national florist that were shipped from across the country and were dying when they got to the house. I wondered who I had pissed off that much until I read the card and figured out what happened.
Going local is so much safer and easier - and you usually get a much better deal if you want a special order.
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