why is there not a campaign to get supermarkets to treat plants better

Yesterday i was in LIDL and some of the plants they have for sale are basically dying. This is not uncommon as a lot of stores seem to sell plants but do not care for them whilst they have them on their shelves. Good Samaritans cant always buy every single dying plant in these stores

Has anyone thought of campaigning on this issue ?

 

Many years ago we were told by staff that it wasn't their job to water the plants.
So why do these supermarkets sell plants...or try to?
Having said that many DIY stores that have garden areas are also at fault with little watering done and plants suffering.
Some places do take care but unfortunately not enough.

 

In fact i was told that its a health and safety issue to water them and the staff needed specialist training. Its sad to see plants being deliberately neglected like this

 

During the last spell of hot weather my local Asda rigged up a hose to spray constantly on their outside plant display. It was difficult to get past without getting wet - not that anyone minded! Morrisons is variable; I've often picked up a lovely healthy plant that was dripping from a recent watering, other times they've had rack fulls of dead bedding.

 

Its always been the same, you have to get there within a day of the plants arriving.
Its how supermarkets work, large turnover with just minimal care.

 

Plants are simply "extras" for supermarkets and possibly used as an attractant. Their profits - which are their main concern - come from their other products.
Little point in Asda just using a water spray to wet the foliage without watering the plant roots.
I think any Health and Safety issues are more to do with wet floors ( think about all those little warning cones they employ when floors have been mopped in the store. The UK seems to have caught the US "compensation" bug so shops need to be extra cautious. No special training is required to water rows of plants whether in pots or in the ground but there isn't always the staff available to do it.
Agree it's frustrating for gardeners to see rows of dead/dying plants but perhaps no worse than the general food wastage.

 

I don't believe that was the only watering Asda was doing - the plants all looked great as they usually do at that branch.

 

@Escarpment - good for that Asda branch then Nice to know that at least some of the suppliers are taking care.

 

I also think it varies. The plants at my local Asda look good and the compost is usually moist. Whereas my local Morisson's is the worst offender.

 

It is likely that dominant supermarkets receive their plants on a 'consignment; basis; they only pay the consigning supplier for those that pass through the checkout at full price, moving risk of loss to the supplier, hence not the store's concern. This is a feature of 'dominant' traders; "you supply on our terms or not at all". It occurs when suppliers are limited to a short season or when a new range is promoted. It appears, displays,sells/or not and disappears, never to be seen again !

 

Supermarkets are known for setting the price they will pay, and the supplier just has to take it or leave it.

 

Agree, it's really sad to see. I usually carry a bottle of water around when I'm out and about and have been known to water the saddest looking ones...

 

are you telling me the supermarket is ok with you doing this ?

 

I'm sure that @Inkymink is doing the store and the plants a favour. You do have a point tho @hi2u_uk . If a store employee spots someone tipping liquid in their plant pots they won't know for sure that it is just water. There are no doubt some weird minded people who would think it funny to pour in a chemical of some description.

 

I wonder if a TV gardener could take on this challenge? Like Jamie Oliver did with school dinners. It would only take one person half an hour or so (after “training” - which is probably just to put cordon, a wet floor sign and a mop afterwards) which wouldn’t cost much particularly if it was a watering can job. If they did it at the end of the day then the floor could dry.