Arrangements of carnations, pom pom’s and roses were sold Thursday at a floral sale hosted by American River College’s horticulture department.
Jamie Decoudreaux, a student assistant in the department, said the feel of actually seeing people come and be please by the services from her and her fellow peers is her favorite aspect of the sale.
“I love that we have a chance to provide students with hands on experience in helping customers,” Decoudreaux said. “It is a really fun opportunity and we enjoy it.”
The sale was full of flowers that are currently in season and the arrangements were sold at half the price they were from the previous week’s sale.
The prearranged combinations are not grown by the department, but, instead it is in charge of growing and nurturing the flowers that customers can have arranged on-the-spot.
According to Nina Railean, a student intern that occasionally works the floral sale, the on-the-spot arrangements are popular with customers.
“They are cheaper than the pre-arranged flowers,” Railean said.
The department is sure the holiday sale for Valentine’s Day will bring in more than the weekly customers and drop-ins, as the holidays tend to be busy.
“I am looking forward to the Valentine’s sale next Thursday,” said Dwight Stearn, a current ARC student pursuing a major in sociology.
Stearn attended the sale to purchase flowers for his classroom in hopes to bring inspiration with a message of growth to fellow students.
The department hopes to provide students with the first hand experience in the field of becoming a florist.
The students will experience one-on-one interactions with customers, gain skills in promoting sales and providing professional customer service.
Profits from the sale go to towards the funding of the horticulture department, and producing future floral sales and the equipmentthe students need.
