The plants on the shelf are for sale. Yes, those ones.
Nobody in the room works for a plant shop. The person behind the counter sells coffee, or books, or checks your dog’s teeth. The plants are there because PILF put them there, and they’re for sale because that’s the arrangement.
Fair questions
Is it really for sale, or is that decoration?
If it has a PILF tag, it’s for sale. Nothing on a PILF shelf is decoration — that’s the point of the tag.
Do the staff know?
Yes. They agreed to the shelf, they know what the receipt looks like, and they’re not expected to do anything except glance at it. Nobody there is on commission.
Why is it cheaper than a plant shop?
It was grown a few blocks away from a cutting, not shipped from a greenhouse in another state. No shop rent, no shipping, no middle. The pot is a plain nursery pot, which is what a plant wants anyway.
What if I pay and the plant’s gone?
Reply to the receipt, or email hello@pilf.me. Full refund the same day, or the next one up on the shelf — your call.
What if it dies?
Everything on the shelf is a Grade A or B, and every page tells you the one thing that usually kills it. If it goes anyway in the first month, say so — a replacement goes on the next shelf visit. No forensics.
Can I buy one for someone else?
Yes. Pay, then send them the receipt. They show it and take the plant, any time it’s still on the shelf.
Is it safe for my cat?
Some are, some aren’t, and every page says which — following the ASPCA’s list, the one vets use. The ones that won’t hate your cat.
Why “PILF”?
Pilfer, shortened. Taking something small from a room that isn’t a shop feels like theft. Here it’s allowed. The longer version.
Where the money goes
The venue doesn’t pay for the plants and doesn’t take a cut of them. PILF grows the plants, installs them, waters them, replaces the ones that sell, and keeps what they sell for. Chicago sales tax is inside the flat price and gets paid to Illinois like any other sale.