Order limits for busy days like Valentine's and Mother's Day

An order limit is a number that tells the order system when to stop. On an ordinary day a shop can take what comes. On the days when demand spikes, the van, the designers and the stem supply have a ceiling, and a cap stops the website from selling past it.

Why a cap helps

Without a cap, the website keeps accepting orders until someone notices. Staff then ring customers to move or cancel them. A limit moves that conversation to before the order, and it's a fixed rule instead of a judgment made at the end of a long day.

A limit per day

A per-day limit counts orders for one delivery date. One delivery-date plugin for a web store is built for shops that can only make a limited number of deliveries a day.¹ Its own example is a flower shop that can deliver only 10 bouquets each day, so the limit is set to 10.¹

What the customer sees is simple. When the day's limit is reached, the date is disabled in the calendar and labeled Booked.¹ They pick another date or call the shop.

Note what is counted. That plugin's setting is labeled as based on the number of orders.¹ A large order and a small one would then count the same, so check what your own program counts.

A limit per time slot

A time slot is a window of the day, such as late morning. The same plugin can limit deliveries for a given slot.² A shop can also set a different number for different slots.²

So one window can hold a lower cap than another. How many each window can take depends on your own routes and drivers.

Cut-off times

A cut-off is the hour when same-day orders close. After it, the plugin takes no more orders for that day.³ Check whether your program lets you change it for a single busy date, not only for every day.

Minimum order values

A minimum order value is a floor on the basket size. One general store maker lets a shop set a minimum order price for each delivery zone.⁴ This isn't a cap. It does keep out small orders that would still need a stop. Zones and fees are on a separate page.

Pick-ups

The help pages above cover delivery slots. This page doesn't claim the same tools stagger counter pick-ups. Some systems treat pick-up times the same way and some don't, so read the documentation for the program you use.

Exceptions

Limits are set by the shop and applied by software. They don't help with phone and counter orders unless staff are told to check the same number. A cap on the website alone leaves the other channels open, so see phone, walk-in and web orders in one place.

These help pages were read on 2026-11-03.¹