SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- Mother’s Day is days away, but giving mom her flowers is more difficult than in previous years.

A rise in gas prices is impacting delivery drivers and prompting local floral shops to see a shift in customer behavior. More people are turning away from deliveries and instead picking up their own orders.

Gas prices are rising and the pain is being felt beyond the pump. One of the busiest times of the year for florists is also becoming one of the most expensive for shoppers, as flower prices increase to offset the cost of delivery.

Shops are making fewer delivery stops to use less gas, leading to an increased demand for in-store pickups. “The economy is so tough on everybody. We’re trying to make it affordable for everyone and we’re finding a lot more customers are picking up orders as opposed to having them delivered,” said Lisa Rubner, owner of Gilded Lily Florist and Gifts.

Gilded Lily in Springfield is one of the shops seeing these impacts firsthand. People are looking to stretch every dollar. “It saves them a little bit of money with the gas prices and for the deliveries and they may do more add-ons or something like that, but they would rather put the money into the flowers than to put the money into the gas tank,” Rubner added.

Rubner noted, even though the prices for flowers will rise slightly, there is still a wide variety available. She recommends getting purchases out of the way now to avoid lines that may be longer than usual this year. “Call ahead and the sooner you order, the more of a variety of flowers that you’ll have. People that wait until the last minute get towards the end,” she explained. “Friday, Saturday will be very busy. A lot of walk-ins, a lot of people calling, so it’s just staying ahead of things and being prepared.”

For many families, the extra effort is worth it to show love for mom.

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