Bloom off flower shops with rise of Net McClatchy News Copyright 2013 McClatchy News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Published 8:10 pm, Thursday, February 14, 2013 The growing dominance of large Web-based flower retailers like 1-800-Flowers.com and ProFlowers, combined with discounted "cash-and-carry" supermarket flowers, has contributed to eroding sales at flower shops. Online fees hurtThe decline of small flower shops at the hands of Internet retailers mirrors the decline of brick-and-mortar bookstores and record stores from competition like Amazon.com and Apple's iTunes. When an online order is placed, floral arrangements are shipped from wholesale nurseries or distributed from company-operated franchise stores. Flower "wire services" like FTD and Teleflora - which allow customers to place phone orders that are filled by local flower shops - existed long before the Internet. Wood said local flower stores offer something customers cannot get from online retailers: an element of personalization and community.