Courier Calls to Recipients: Russian, English and What Actually Happens
This question comes up every week at the shop, usually from someone sending flowers to a colleague from abroad, an expat partner, or a foreign student who just moved to Saint Petersburg. The short answer is that the courier will call in Russian by default, because that is the working language of every driver on our team. The longer answer is that with the right instructions left at the time of order, the handover goes smoothly even when the recipient does not speak a single word of Russian — and we have been doing exactly that for years.
Why the Default Call Is in Russian and What That Means Practically
Our couriers are based in Saint Petersburg and work routes across Russia. Russian is their native language and the one they use for every operational call — confirming the address, asking which floor, checking whether the recipient is home. This is not a policy choice so much as a practical reality: we do not staff a multilingual call centre, and we do not pretend otherwise. What this means for you as the sender is that if your recipient picks up the phone and hears Russian, they may panic slightly, hang up, or simply not understand that a bouquet of garden roses and lisianthus is waiting for them downstairs. That moment of confusion is the thing we want to help you avoid. The courier is not going to switch to English mid-call — that is not a reasonable expectation and setting it up that way leads to worse outcomes, not better. What the courier will do is follow whatever written instructions you leave in the order comments field, and those instructions are read before the driver leaves the warehouse. If you write clearly, the courier adapts the delivery behaviour accordingly — holding the flowers in the van, buzzing the intercom instead of calling, texting a pre-written message, or waiting in the lobby. The flowers themselves are packed in water-retaining wrapping and kraft paper, so a wait of fifteen to twenty minutes at the door does not damage a fresh peony or spray rose arrangement. The call is a coordination tool, not a ceremony.
Bouquets we can deliver
What the Courier Actually Says During a Standard Call
Understanding the script helps you write better instructions. A standard courier call in Russian covers three things: confirming the recipient's name, announcing that a flower delivery has arrived, and asking for the entrance or apartment number if it was not on the order. In transliterated form it sounds roughly like this — the courier says the recipient's name, then says the Russian phrase for 'you have a flower delivery from Five Flowers,' then asks where to come up or whether to leave the bouquet at reception. That is the entire call. It lasts under a minute in most cases. There is no sales pitch, no reading of the card message aloud over the phone, and no request for a signature unless the sender has specifically asked for confirmation of receipt. The card message — whatever you wrote for the recipient — is printed and placed inside the wrapping, usually tucked between the stems and the outer kraft layer. For a bouquet of, say, tulips and freesia in spring or ranunculus in late winter, the card sits protected from moisture by the inner cellophane sleeve. The courier does not read it. The recipient reads it themselves after accepting the bouquet. This matters because some senders assume the courier will translate or relay a verbal message — that does not happen. Your written card message is the message, and it should be written in whatever language the recipient reads comfortably. If you write it in English, it arrives in English.
How to Leave Instructions for a Non-Russian-Speaking Recipient
The order form has a comments field, and this is where you do the work. Write your instructions in Russian if you can, because the courier reads them in Russian. If you cannot write Russian, write in English — someone at the shop will read the order before dispatch and flag anything that needs clarification. Do not assume the courier will improvise. Specific instructions produce specific results. Useful things to write include: do not call, send an SMS instead; the recipient does not speak Russian, please text the following message in English before arriving — and then write the exact text you want sent. A good pre-written text for the courier to copy and paste reads something like: 'Hi, this is Five Flowers, we have a delivery for you, we will be at your door in ten minutes.' That is short enough to paste from a notes app and clear enough that the recipient understands what is happening without needing any Russian. You can also ask the courier to buzz the intercom rather than call, which removes the language barrier entirely. For office deliveries to expats, it often works well to name a Russian-speaking colleague at reception who can accept the bouquet on the recipient's behalf — just include that person's name and position in the comments. For a bouquet of chrysanthemums or alstroemeria going to a corporate address, this is the cleanest solution. The flowers are hardy enough to sit at a reception desk for several hours without losing condition, so the recipient does not need to be physically present at the moment of delivery.
The SMS Option: When It Works Better Than a Call
For recipients who do not speak Russian, an SMS or messenger text before the courier arrives is almost always the better coordination method. A text message gives the recipient time to read it, translate it if needed, and respond without the pressure of a live phone call in an unfamiliar language. It also creates a written record the recipient can show to a doorman or building security if entry requires explanation. When you request the SMS approach in your order comments, the courier sends a short text from their phone number before arriving at the address. You can specify the exact wording you want used — and we strongly recommend doing this rather than leaving it open, because a courier improvising in Russian does not help a recipient who reads only English. Keep the text short: the recipient's name, the company name, and an estimated arrival window of ten to fifteen minutes is enough. If you want to include the sender's name so the recipient knows who sent the flowers, add that too. Bouquets travel in temperature-controlled conditions and the flowers — whether garden roses, Dutch tulips in season, or a mixed arrangement with eucalyptus — arrive in the same condition they left the shop. The SMS step does not add time to the delivery; it replaces the call rather than preceding it. One thing to note: if the recipient does not respond to the text and is not at the door when the courier arrives, the driver will wait a reasonable period and then contact the sender, not the recipient again, to decide on next steps. This is standard procedure regardless of the recipient's language.
Intercom, Reception and Other No-Call Delivery Options
Not every delivery requires a phone call at all. For apartment buildings in Saint Petersburg, the intercom is a completely workable alternative. The courier buzzes the flat number, the recipient hears the buzzer, and comes down or releases the door. No Russian is spoken. This works reliably when the recipient is home and the intercom is functioning — which in modern residential buildings it usually is. The limitation is that the courier cannot confirm in advance whether the recipient is present, so there is a small risk of a wasted trip if no one answers. To reduce that risk, you as the sender can notify the recipient yourself before placing the order. A simple message from you — 'expect flowers today between 3 and 5 pm' — removes the entire language problem from the courier's side. For hotel deliveries, the front desk handles everything. The courier hands the bouquet to the concierge, gives the guest's name, and the hotel takes it from there. Hotels in Saint Petersburg that host international guests deal with this constantly and it is a smooth process. A bouquet of spray roses or a mixed arrangement with solidago and lisianthus sits well in a hotel lobby for an hour or two without wilting. For serviced apartments with a staffed reception, the same logic applies. The key detail to include in your order is the guest name exactly as it appears on the hotel booking, so the front desk can match the delivery to the right room without calling up to ask.
What Can Go Wrong and How to Prevent It
The most common problem we see is a sender who assumes the recipient will figure it out. The recipient gets a call in Russian, does not understand, hangs up, and the courier marks the address as unreachable. The bouquet comes back to the shop. Roses and peonies are fine for another attempt the same day if it happens in the morning, but by evening the window for a second delivery narrows. Ranunculus and anemones are more sensitive and do not look their best after a second round of transport. Prevention is straightforward: leave instructions, and make them specific. The second common problem is a phone number that does not accept calls from Russian numbers. Some international SIM cards block incoming calls from numbers they do not recognise, or the recipient has call-blocking apps active. If you know this is a possibility, specify SMS or messenger contact in the order comments and include the platform — WhatsApp works broadly in Russia and is commonly used by couriers. The third problem is an address that is slightly wrong. For expat recipients who may have given you their address in English transliteration, double-check the house number and building number separately — in Saint Petersburg, a single city block can have a main building number and several corpus or stroenie numbers, and the wrong one can put the courier in front of the wrong entrance entirely. When in doubt, ask the recipient to send a screenshot of their address in Russian from a map app. That single step eliminates the most common address error we see on international orders.
Timing, Temperature and Keeping the Flowers in Good Condition During the Wait
When a delivery involves extra coordination steps — a pre-written SMS, an intercom buzz, a wait at reception — it can take a few minutes longer than a standard call-and-deliver run. This is worth knowing because flowers have a temperature tolerance and a hydration window. Our bouquets leave the shop with stems in water-retaining gel or wet cotton at the base, wrapped in cellophane and then kraft paper. This keeps the stems hydrated for two to three hours in normal conditions. In summer, when Saint Petersburg temperatures can reach the high twenties, a bouquet sitting in a parked van for more than thirty minutes will feel it — particularly soft-petalled varieties like garden roses or sweet peas. We schedule summer deliveries with shorter route segments for exactly this reason. In winter, the risk is frost damage during the walk from van to door, which is why our couriers carry bouquets inside a thermal bag for the last stretch. Tulips are especially susceptible to freeze damage on the outer petals and we double-wrap them in cold months. If your recipient is in a building with a long walk from parking to entrance, mention it in the comments so the courier plans accordingly. For the recipient, the instruction once they have the bouquet is simple: cut the stems at an angle, remove any leaves that would sit below the waterline, and place the arrangement in a clean vase with fresh water. Change the water every two days. Chrysanthemums and alstroemeria will last ten to fourteen days with this treatment. Garden roses and tulips typically give you five to seven days of good bloom.
The courier will call in Russian — that is the starting point, and knowing it lets you plan around it rather than be surprised by it. The order comments field is your main tool: use it to specify SMS over call, provide pre-written English text for the courier to send, name a contact at reception, or ask for an intercom buzz instead of a phone call. The flowers arrive in the same condition regardless of which method you choose, because the coordination step and the packing quality are separate things. A well-instructed delivery to a non-Russian-speaking recipient in Saint Petersburg is completely routine for us, and the instructions you leave at the time of order are what make it work. We deliver bouquets across Russia in 1–2 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Can the courier switch to English during the call if the recipient asks?
Our couriers work in Russian and cannot be expected to conduct the delivery call in English. If the recipient needs English communication, the better solution is to request an SMS with pre-written English text in your order comments. That way the message is accurate and the recipient has time to read and respond without the pressure of a live call.
What if my recipient has a foreign SIM card that blocks unknown Russian numbers?
Specify in the order comments that the courier should use WhatsApp or another messaging app rather than a standard call. Include the platform name explicitly. WhatsApp is widely used in Russia and most of our couriers have it active on their work phones. Provide the recipient's number in international format so the message routes correctly.
Will the card message be read aloud by the courier?
No. The card message is printed and placed inside the bouquet wrapping. The recipient reads it themselves after accepting the delivery. Write the card in whatever language your recipient reads — English, French, or any other — and it will arrive exactly as you wrote it. The courier handles logistics only, not the message.
Can I send flowers to a hotel guest who does not speak Russian?
Yes, hotel deliveries are straightforward. The courier hands the bouquet to the front desk with the guest's name. The hotel handles the rest internally. Include the guest's name exactly as it appears on their booking, the hotel name, and the room number if you have it. No Russian is required from the recipient at any point in this process.
How far in advance should I notify my recipient if I want to skip the courier call entirely?
A message from you to the recipient one to two hours before the delivery window is enough. Something as simple as 'expect flowers this afternoon' removes the need for any courier-to-recipient contact. You can then note in the order comments that the recipient is expecting the delivery and the courier should go directly to the door or intercom without calling first.
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