Is it ethical?

LittleMissGreenEyes

With Valentine's Day around the corner there are quite a few flower shops hiring part time help to cover for the holiday. Basically I would go in, design for them for the week and be done. Part of my event business is doing wedding flowers. I don't sell in a shop type setting and my events don't really start up until May. I'm considering applying for a few of these temp jobs for some extra cash given our financial situation after DH was laid off.

If you were a business owner and someone who was super qualified but owned a business in the same industry applied for temporary work to help you out, would you consider it unethical? I would be upfront but I don't want to put anyone out by even applying.

WonderRed

I don't see anything wrong with that.  No different from me taking temp or contract work with another firm in the same practice area that might compete with me for clients   (so long as I don't sit opposite a former client at any time).

WineCat

Do it!  As a business owner in a similar type business and someone competent applied, I'd be over the moon. 

DruidPrincess

Meh, I don't see anything wrong with it.  Besides, if you happen to work with a shop that you wind up liking as far as product and management, could you not do a little back-scratching for them later in return via your business?  (Like rec them to a client if for any reason you can't take an event, or something like that?)

todds_wife

I don't think any of the shops I worked in would have cared. We just needed the help the week of Valentines day, Your business doesn't make you a threat, they only care if you can do a doezen roses over and over again until you hope every rose on earth shrivels and dies. At least that is what we always had the temps do. I say go for it if you have the experience to be fast and pretty with your arrangements.

Jeep Doll

I think as long as you are honest about your business, it will be up to them to decide.  You wouldn't be searching through their list of clients and stealing them, so it would be ethical to me to hire you.

tra_la_la

todds_wife:

I don't think any of the shops I worked in would have cared. We just needed the help the week of Valentines day, Your business doesn't make you a threat, they only care if you can do a doezen roses over and over again until you hope every rose on earth shrivels and dies. At least that is what we always had the temps do. I say go for it if you have the experience to be fast and pretty with your arrangements.

This. DH. SIL, and myself all worked for a company, rhymes with Shmares for a few years and when they hire temps all they care about is how fast you can produce and if you're willing to work long days and sometimes nights.

LittleMissGreenEyes

todds_wife:

I don't think any of the shops I worked in would have cared. We just needed the help the week of Valentines day, Your business doesn't make you a threat, they only care if you can do a doezen roses over and over again until you hope every rose on earth shrivels and dies. At least that is what we always had the temps do. I say go for it if you have the experience to be fast and pretty with your arrangements.

Ha, isn't that the truth, I don't miss the holiday rushes with the boring dozen rose arrangements over and over again. I personally hate them and prefer more unique arrangements but the men of the world will always go with what they know. Baby's breath, leather leaf and red roses, ugh.

todds_wife

LittleMissGreenEyes:

todds_wife:

I don't think any of the shops I worked in would have cared. We just needed the help the week of Valentines day, Your business doesn't make you a threat, they only care if you can do a doezen roses over and over again until you hope every rose on earth shrivels and dies. At least that is what we always had the temps do. I say go for it if you have the experience to be fast and pretty with your arrangements.

Ha, isn't that the truth, I don't miss the holiday rushes with the boring dozen rose arrangements over and over again. I personally hate them and prefer more unique arrangements but the men of the world will always go with what they know. Baby's breath, leather leaf and red roses, ugh.

I was lucky enough to work in higher end shops so I didn't have to do leather leaf an babies breath, but dozen rose arrangements at valentines day and evergreen wreaths all December are a fact of life in the industry. Luckily the rest of the year it was all awesome custom stuff for customers with deep pockets. But the Brown Palace especially kinda ruined Valentines day forever for me. And Todd will always know that I think flowers are mainly for cheating jerks. Terrible, huh?

carrierrie

I see nothing unethical about any of this.  You gotta do what you gotta do!

velocitygrl

Do it.  They'll probably be thrilled to have some help from somebody who knows what they're doing.