Kateřina’s workday starts very early. The auction begins at six in the morning, but there is still preparation to be done beforehand. “I arrive at work around five. I need to go through what will be happening at the auction that day, what we have in stock, what has sold, what hasn’t, and what we need to secure,” she explains.
That means waking up before four in the morning. “I’m not a morning person. Waking up is terrible, and you can’t really get used to it. I suffer every day, but I enjoy the work, and this small sacrifice is worth it,” she says.
When you hear the phrase flower auction, you might imagine a large hall in the Netherlands where people raise their hands and place bids. Today, however, most buyers purchase flowers online. “I buy flowers in the Netherlands from Prague. There are still a few people who travel directly to the Netherlands, but most of the world already works online,” explains Kateřina.
The actual purchasing happens through auction clocks. Different types of products run simultaneously across several channels, and buyers must constantly switch between them. “Each slot features a different assortment, and I have to manage products on all fronts. That’s why there are several of us working as buyers. One person couldn’t handle it alone.”
That is also why St. Gabriel has a full team of buyers with divided assortments – potted plants and cut flowers. These are then further divided according to flower types, auction times, and what needs to be managed during the auction.
“When tulips and lilies are running at the same time in the morning, I can’t buy both. So I hand the tulips over to someone else so we can both make good purchases,” explains Kateřina. She often has only a fraction of a second to decide whether to buy or not. “It’s measured in hundredths of a second. Sometimes I barely even breathe,” she laughs.
Besides flowers, there is also decoration purchasing. According to her, this process is different because decorations are not sold through a traditional auction. It mainly involves negotiating with suppliers, browsing e-shops, monitoring stock levels, and figuring out what needs to be ordered and where the products can be sourced most advantageously.
Buying flowers is not just about clicking at the right moment. Kateřina carefully monitors in advance:
“Everything plays a role. That’s why I prepare in advance. I check which products will be available, which growers they come from, what they look like, their stem weight, length, and other specifications. Then, during the auction itself, I mainly focus on the price,” she explains.
And according to her, prices can rise dramatically during auctions, especially before important holidays when demand is extremely high. “When someone decides they absolutely need a certain flower and is willing to pay four times the original price for it, then all of us end up paying four times more.”
The most demanding periods of the year for buyers are the traditional flower holidays – Valentine’s Day, International Women’s Day, Mother’s Day, or the end of the school year. During these times, both demand and prices change significantly.
“On Valentine’s Day, red roses are the biggest hit. On Mother’s Day, it’s peonies and hydrangeas. Florists need to have bouquets prepared in advance for these holidays. But flowers cannot be purchased or arranged two weeks ahead. The week before the holiday, we’re all on the same wavelength and suffering together – us and the florists,” says Kateřina.
At home, everyone already knows that when one of these holidays approaches, family plans go aside. During that period, Kateřina lives entirely for her work.
How many flowers do buyers actually order in a single day? The exact number changes depending on the season, but Kateřina estimates it can amount to tens of thousands of stems daily. “If we consider that we buy around 600 items per day, mostly by the bucket, it could be around 50,000 stems a day. But that’s a very rough estimate,” she says.
The ordered flowers arrive from the Netherlands the very next day. Kateřina regularly goes to inspect them in the warehouse. “I want to see what they look like so I can make sure what is truly good quality and worth buying again.”
Kateřina most frequently buys lilies. “Lilies came into my life by chance, but I developed a connection with them. They’re my favorite flowers to buy, although I don’t take them home,” she admits.
What makes lilies exciting for her is the adrenaline their purchase often brings. “There usually aren’t many of them available, and it’s almost always an experience. You really have to fight to secure lilies for customers, and that’s what I enjoy about it.”
Her favorite flower is the peony, not only because of its appearance but also because of its name. “I absolutely love how it sounds in Latin – Paeonia. It’s really beautiful.” At the same time, however, she points out that peonies have their season.
“During the season, they’re not that difficult to get, but at any other time they are. For the rest of the year, they’re extremely expensive and the quality is usually poor. Buying peonies in December, for example, is simply not a good idea.”
Kateřina studied horticulture and joined St. Gabriel shortly after graduating. At first, she worked as a picker – someone who prepares products according to orders.
“Only after a year did I start buying flowers. They were looking for a new buyer, and my colleague asked if I wanted to try it. At first, I just played around with the auction system, and it fascinated me. So I thought: why not,” she recalls.
The beginnings, however, were not easy. “When I started in the new position, I really struggled. It was extremely stressful. Until you get used to it, it’s tough.” At the same time, the job taught her a lot – especially how to make quick decisions and handle stress more easily.
Today, she works with warehouse data, monitors sales, prices, and stock turnover rates. But she admits that flower buying cannot be learned from a manual. “I can see what sells quickly, at what price, what sells out immediately, and what doesn’t sell at all. But this job is something you have to sit through and learn from experience. You can’t just hand someone a written guide and say that if they follow it, they’ll become a good buyer.”
During her training, she received one simple piece of advice that she still follows today: “Just buy it.” Because there simply isn’t always time to analyze everything in detail.
So how does Kateřina know she has done a good job? It’s not only about buying flowers at a good price. What matters is that the products sell – while customers still continue to have a wide selection to choose from.
“It’s a complicated balance. The goal is for all the flowers to sell, but at the same time for us to still have something to offer. We’ll never achieve it perfectly, but we always try,” she says.
According to Kateřina, the ideal buyer should mainly have a lot of patience and the ability to stay focused. “An auction can easily last the entire morning. The best thing is to switch your phone off and place it as far away as possible. Even if someone calls me for work and I’d like to help them, during the battle at the auction it simply isn’t the priority,” she concludes.
The next time you see beautiful peonies, lilies, or hydrangeas in our e-shop, try to remember that behind them is someone who was barely breathing while trying to secure them for you. Thanks to our skilled team of buyers, we are able to deliver fresh flowers from the world’s best growers to you every single day.
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