Two ways your flowers arrive
James Cress Florist is a family florist with three shops on Long Island and a delivery service that reaches every state and Canada. Where your order goes decides who makes it.
Near our shops. Across Long Island our own designers in Smithtown, Commack and Port Jefferson Station make the arrangement and one of our drivers hand-delivers it, seven days a week, same day when you order by the cutoff.
Everywhere else. A vetted local florist near your recipient designs the arrangement from our recipe and hand-delivers it, in water rather than a shipping box. We work with a network of more than 10,000 independent florist shops across the United States and Canada, and every order carries the same James Cress guarantee whoever makes it.
Gift baskets. Gourmet gift baskets and food gifts are packed to order by our gift basket partners and shipped by carrier with free two-day shipping. They travel in a box, so same-day delivery and the florist cutoffs below do not apply to them.
How we choose the florist
We do not hand your order to whoever is nearest. The shop has to be a real florist with a design team, fresh stock and delivery on your date. Your order goes to them with the recipe, the photo you chose, the size, the delivery date and your card message, and the florist confirms it can take it before work begins. If our first choice cannot accept the order that day, we try the next shop in the area. You never see this happen; you see a delivered arrangement.
Because a florist is confirmed after your order comes in rather than at checkout, we never promise coverage we have not verified. If we cannot find a shop for your date, we tell you right away and you choose what happens next (see below).
Same-day cutoffs
All times are the recipient's local time. Order before the cutoff and a florist delivers the same day; after it, pick the next available date at checkout.
| Day | Homes and businesses | Schools and campuses |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Friday | 2:00 PM | 1:30 PM |
| Saturday | 12:45 PM | No school delivery |
| Sunday | 11:45 AM on Long Island from our own shops; elsewhere, orders placed on Sunday deliver Monday | No school delivery |
Around the major flower holidays cutoffs move earlier and delivery windows fill up, so order a few days ahead for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and the December holidays. Most deliveries are completed by 8 PM in the recipient's time zone; funeral and hospital deliveries are timed to the service or to visiting hours when you give us the details.
Funeral homes, hospitals and offices
Put the name of the funeral home and the time of the service or visitation in the order notes and the florist times the delivery to arrive before it. For hospitals, include the patient's full name and the unit; deliveries go to the main desk or the floor station, and some intensive care units do not allow flowers, so we may suggest a plant or a gift basket instead. Office deliveries arrive during business hours, so give us the company name and the recipient's department.
Substitutions
Flowers are seasonal and stock changes daily, so a florist may need to substitute a stem or a container. The rule is simple: the substitute is of equal or higher value, in the same style and color palette, so the arrangement looks like the one you chose.
If no florist can accept your order
It is rare, but on the busiest days or in a remote area every shop nearby may be full or closed. When that happens we contact you the same day with the options: a different delivery date, a comparable design a florist can make, or a gift that ships by carrier, such as a plant, boxed flowers or a gift basket. If none of those suits, you are refunded in full.
The 100% Smile Guarantee
If you or your recipient are not delighted with the freshness, quality or presentation of an order, tell us within five days of delivery and we replace it or refund it. Call the Smithtown shop at (631) 724-0333 or email support@jamescressflorist.com with the order number, and a photo if you have one; it helps us sort things out with the florist quickly. The full policy is on our refund policy page.
Changing or cancelling an order
Call us as soon as you can at (631) 724-0333. Orders move to the florist quickly so they can be designed and delivered on time, and once a florist has started on an arrangement it cannot be changed or cancelled. Please check the recipient's address before you place the order; we cannot recover an arrangement delivered to an address entered in error.