A Sliding Scale Pricing Model at Vault + Vine

by Alyssa Rainville

We at Vault + Vine are deeply aware of the soothing, beautifying powers of plants and flowers in our own lives.  It is not uncommon for our staff to turn towards the natural world in order to decompress from similar things that we do while on the clock!  We understand the transformative power of having access to plants.  In reimagining our business practices, we want to increase the financial accessibility of our work and the services we provide. 

Inspired and encouraged during a recent webinar with Kate Strathmann at Wanderwell Consulting, sliding scale pricing provides us an opportunity to use our business to bridge gaps in wealth access.

We recognize that many people in our community have varying degrees of access to resources and money because of oppressive systems that have long been embedded into society.  To chip away at theses systems where financial resources have moved along lines of power, we at Vault + Vine can reimagine how we price our offerings in order to increase accessibility.

Sliding scale is a method of pricing that allows a product or service to be priced at several access points, based on self-analysis of the purchaser.  When analyzing where you might sit on our sliding scale, it is important not only to consider the resources that you currently hold, but also the history of your access to resources.  Digging in to where we stand is one way to move towards economic justice, where we can begin to challenge classist and capitalistic ideals.

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Sliding scale thrives on trust and integrity.  We do not ask for proof or explanation in your choosing!  We only ask for careful consideration of what level aligns most with your economic reality.  At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that we all experience abundance and scarcity around money and wealth in different ways, and that is ok. By looking at the chart suggestions and giving it some thought, we simply encourage you to make the right choice for you! For us, the conversation of sliding scale is only just beginning, and we intend to re-visit this topic across the entire business as we try new things. 

We are beginning to offer sliding scale pricing with our flower arranging video tutorial series, “Playing With Flowers.” Cost for each week might look different as we learn more with experimentation in pricing and broadening access points for our services.  We look forward to sharing updates!