Flower shop inventory: count stems, plants, vases and supplies, and record what you throw away
By mise · Updated October 15, 2026
Quick answer: a flower shop (florist) controls two kinds of stock: perishable (cut flowers by stem or bunch, plants) and hard goods (vases, ribbon, foam, wrap, cards, chocolates). Flowers have no barcode: you add each variety once with a name and a photo and count stems by bucket. Hard goods are scanned by barcode. Waste goes in with a reason, and the cost of each arrangement comes from its recipe.
Add each flower once with a name and a photo, and scan the barcode on vases, ribbon and chocolates: mise finds the product and brings it back categorized. In a flower shop that means knowing on Monday how many stems came in last week, how many went into arrangements and how many went in the bin, in money.
A florist buys on Monday what has to be sold by Saturday. Between the wholesaler and the customer, stems are lost to wilting, overbuying, broken heads and arrangements that used more than they were priced for. Hard goods pile up in the back for years. This guide covers how a flower shop counts, how to cost an arrangement and what mise does.
What a florist counts, and in what unit
| Category | Unit and how to count | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Cut flowers (roses, lilies, tulips, greenery) | Stems or bunches, by bucket; each variety added once with a name and photo | Shelf life of 5 to 10 days |
| Potted plants, orchids | Units; own item | Slow sellers |
| Vases, containers, ribbon, foam, wrap | Barcode when there is one; otherwise own item | Consumed daily, never counted; years in the back room |
| Add-ons (chocolates, balloons, cards) | Barcode | Expiry on chocolates |
| Made-up arrangements (grab-and-go) | Own item with a recipe | Unsold at closing |
Stems carry no barcode. You add each variety and color once (red roses 50 cm, white lilies, eucalyptus) with a name and a photo, then pick it from the list and type the stems. You can photograph the wholesaler's sleeve and mise's AI tries to identify it; it will not recognize every flower.
Waste: the florist's shrink
- Wilted and unsold at the Saturday close. Record it as a stock-out with a reason (spoiled), by variety, before it goes in the bin.
- Broken heads on arrival: check the delivery against the wholesaler's invoice, bunch by bunch.
- Arrangements that use more than they were priced for: costed at 12 roses, went out with 14.
- Stems given away: the single rose for the regular. Stock-out with a reason (gift).
See inventory shrinkage.
Do it in mise
- Add each variety once with a name and a photo, then pick it from the list and type the stems; vases, ribbon, chocolates and cards by barcode, found and categorized by mise's AI.
- Count by bucket on Monday and Saturday with your team, each on their own phone with their own permissions.
- Waste recorded as a stock-out with a reason (spoiled, broken, gift), by variety, in money.
- Arrangements as recipes with cost per bouquet from the last invoice price; stock deducted through the recipe when you sell.
- Minimum stock on hard goods and a reorder list in PDF, Excel, WhatsApp or email; invoices in XML, Excel or CSV; export to Excel and PDF.
7 days free, no card needed.
The cost of an arrangement: a recipe
An arrangement is a recipe: 12 roses, 5 stems of eucalyptus, 1 sheet of wrap, 1 metre of ribbon, 1 card. In mise each arrangement is a recipe (bill of materials) built from your items, and its cost comes from the last invoice price of each stem and each roll. A correction factor covers the stems lost to trimming and breakage.
When you sell arrangements, the stems and supplies are deducted from stock through the recipe, so Saturday's count is compared against what really went out. See recipe costing and markup versus margin.
The weekly routine
| Section | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cut flowers, by bucket | Monday before the order, Saturday at close | What came in, what is left, what to throw away |
| Plants and add-ons | Weekly | Slow sellers; expiry on chocolates |
| Hard goods (vases, ribbon, foam, wrap) | Monthly | Reorder; years of dead stock |
| Whole shop | Quarterly | Stock value |
Deliveries are checked against the wholesaler's invoice, imported as XML, Excel or CSV: bunches of 10 or 25 multiplied by stems. Each person counts from their own phone with their own permissions. See cycle counting.
Minimum stock on hard goods and the order list
Flowers are bought by eye and by the week's orders. Hard goods are where minimum stock (par level) pays off: wrap, ribbon in the house colors, foam, cards, the three bestselling vases. Below it, the item turns red and goes onto the reorder list with the quantity short. The list exports as PDF or Excel, or opens in WhatsApp or email ready to send, split by supplier. For items below minimum, mise can also look for a seller with a price in your region (beta). See par level and reorder point formula.
What mise does in a flower shop, and what it does not
In short, everything in the "Do it in mise" box above, with no limit on items, counts or scans.
Count by bucket on Saturday, record the waste with a reason and see the cost of every bouquet. 7-day free trial, no card.
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Frequently asked questions
Flowers have no barcode. How do I add them?
Add each variety and color once, with a name and a photo. From then on you pick it from the list and type the stems or bunches. You can also photograph the wholesaler's sleeve and mise's AI tries to identify it.
How do I record flowers I throw away?
As a stock-out with a reason (spoiled), by variety, at the Saturday count. The month's waste comes out in money, line by line.
Can I know what a bouquet costs me?
Yes: build it as a recipe (12 roses, 5 eucalyptus, wrap, ribbon, card) and the cost comes from the last invoice price of each item, with a correction factor for lost stems.
Does it work for the hard goods too?
Yes: vases, ribbon, foam, chocolates and cards are scanned by barcode and get a minimum stock for the reorder list.
How much does mise cost?
7 days free, no card needed, to try it in your store.