Gift departments in "garden centres"

[craigmason 10]

Why do some garden centres have gift departments selling stinky candles and other expensive non gardening tat ???

should they not concentrate on selling gardening products

[mike-s 13]

Its called profit.

[Chez2 10]

I agree, they often have so many other lines they tend to forget they are a garden centre. I can see where mike-s is coming from but why be a garden centre if you aren't going to be selling many plants? Avid gardeners such as myself rarely go to these places. Other avid gardeners concur too. Considering a lot of avid gardeners I know purchase in excess of £1k per year on plants and can spend in excess of £200 on a single plant then these tat garden centres are missing a trick.

 

I tend to buy from specialist growers or traditional plant nurseries where the plants are cheaper, better quality and looked after. You have a better choice too. These garden centres all sell the same few plants that they have BOUGHT IN, hence the need to diversify. There are lots of ways they could diversify and extend their season but still connected to plants.

[lindylou53 18]

Went to Wentworth Garden Centre last week - the restaurant was packed! It must make more money than all the other departments put together. Plants very expensive too. Buy plants from nurseries is what I say!

[Chez2 10]

We went to a garden centre in Rotherham today, not a big chain one. We only went because yesterday all the vine weevil killer had sold out at the nursery we go to at the other side of Sheffield. They were rearranging it and we almost went out missing the pesticide / herbicide section. They were installing a big section for birthday cards and more tacky ornaments. The plants weren't in good condition and they didn't have many, hence me not naming them on here.