The most obvious need for math in most jobs comes with the calculation of sales and exchange of money with customers. Florists must use percentages and formulas to calculate how much an arrangement costs them to make. This includes adding the costs of all the flowers and materials used. As with most retail sales jobs, they then must add to the price the labor and material retail mark-up in order to obtain a profit from the sale. On top of this price, sales tax must be calculated and added to the price. Once the price is configured, the florist worker must be able to count money and subtract in order to determine how much change is owed to the customer.
In addition to the price of the arrangement, most florists offer the option for delivery. As a florist, one must determine the distance in which a delivery cannot be made for free without taking a loss in profit. The florists must think about the mileage, cost of gas, and the time to make the trip in order to determine the amount to charge for each delivery.
Other forms of math are found in the actual flower arrangement work in the florist setting. Geometry takes a big part in designing a floral arrangement. Florists must be aware of heights, angles, lines, and shapes. Most florists work with both two dimensional and three dimensional thoughts in mind. Symmetry also often takes part when creating an arrangement.
Knowledge of multiplication facts is also handy when it comes to working with flowers. Most flowers are sold by the dozen. Therefore, the florist must be comfortable working with multiples of 12. When a customer wants a half a dozen, the florists must then think in terms of fractions. Fractions also play a part in determining the appropriate ratio of different types of flowers that should be in a bouquet.
Caring for the plants in the shop is also not free of math. Determining the exact measurement of food, soil, temperature, and water is extremely important to maintaining healthy plants to sell. Florists must ensure that each plant is placed in the appropriate locations based on the amount of time spent in the sun and the temperature of the atmosphere. These characteristics and measurements may vary from plant to plant.
There are virtually not retail jobs that are free of completing some form of math. In many cases, workers carry out mathematical activities during their day without even recognizing the application of the subject. Due to this, most employers look for people to fill retail jobs that have a positive mathematical background.
