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Before I was ever involved in the flower business, I jumped from job to job, trying to figure out where I belonged. I grew up in South Queens, New York, where the role models on my block were police officers and firemen who showed up when others needed them most. Naturally, I thought Id follow that path and become a cop. That dream shifted into social work, a field that fed my heart but not my wallet. To make ends meet, I took on whatever work I could, flipping houses, tending bar, you name it. Through it all, I never forgot what my dad, a painting contractor, used to tell me: If youre old enough to walk, youre old enough to work. On paper, none of this looked like the résumé of someone who would build a company still thriving 50 years later. But every odd job and hard-earned lesson taught me the secret to longevity: the relationships you build along the way. Plant the seed in a flower shop In 1976, I bought my first flower shop on Manhattans Upper East Side and poured all I had into the little business. It soon became clear to me that we were not just selling bouquets but also becoming part of peoples lives. While customers came in to buy flowers, they also sought restaurant advice and shared stories of love and loss, among many other things. Before long, the shop had become a neighborhood hub. As I opened more locationsfirst one, then another, until there were about 40the lesson became even clearer: Success didnt come from the number of shops, it came from the trust and connection inside them. But physical store growth could only take us so far. Thats when opportunity knocked in the form of a failing company that owned the 800 number that spelled the word FLOWERS. Everyone told me I was crazy to buy it. After all, they said, who would order flowers over the phone? Turns out, a lot of people do! Before long, thousands were calling every day, sending flowers across town or across the country, and discovering a new way to stay connected with the people they loved no matter the distance. Stay the course in a changing world A few years later, my younger brother Chris convinced me the internet was going to change everything. He was right. We became one of the first e-commerce retailers, making it even more convenient for people to show up for each other. Of course, none of this was a straight line. We tried dozens of technologies and abandoned most of them. But failure never discouraged us; it reminded us that learning and evolving were part of our DNA. Sometimes, luck and relationships create a breakthrough. In 1988, for instance, I met Ted Turner, who gave me a shot to run ads on CNN. When the Gulf War broke out a couple of years later and advertisers pulled their spots, Ted asked me to leave ours on. Suddenly, 1-800-Flowers was everywhere. The war, brought to you by 1-800-Flowers, people joked. Such exposure transformed our brand overnight. But it never would have happened if Ted hadnt taken an interest, if I hadnt been willing to take a risk, or if we hadnt forged a relationship. Over the ensuing years, we embraced social media, mobile shopping, and conversational commerce. We were one of the first retailers on Facebook. When COVID hit, we paused traditional marketing and started writing directly to our community. That Sunday newsletter, Celebrations Pulse, has grown to more than 14 million subscribers. It isnt about selling flowers but rather speaks about resilience, rituals, and the relationships that matter most. Enter the latest wave Today, AI is the latest wave. I know it sparks both excitement and concern, but to me its simply the next tool to help us serve people better. Imagine sitting down to write a note to your mom on Mothers Day and not knowing how to put your feelings into words. Our AI tools, properly positioned, can help you express yourself in a way that feels authentic. Or think about a campaign designed around your needs, not ours. Its technology that serves humanity, not the other way around. If theres one lesson from five decades of building 1-800-Flowers, its this: Longevity comes from evolving with every new wave while staying rooted in your values. You have to listen, learn, adapt, and keep experimenting. But at the heart of it all, you have to remember why: More meaningful relationships are not only good for business, they also make life better for everyone. Jim McCann is founder of 1-800-Flowers.com.
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E-Commerce
La Nia, a climate pattern that can affect weather worldwide, has officially arrived. La Nia is fueled by colder-than-normal Pacific ocean temperatures, which then affect the pattern of the Pacific jet steam. Its the cooler counter to El Nio, which involves warmer-than-normal ocean waters. Both are part of a weather system called the El Nio-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). La Nia conditions emerged in September, the National Weather Services Climate Prediction Center said on Thursday. They’re expected to continue through the end of the year, and potentially until February 2026. This La Nia is expected to remain weak, weather experts said, but it could still affect the winter, and even the hurricane season. [Image: NOAA] What does La Nia mean for winter weather? During La Nia, cold waters push the Pacific jet stream northward, which creates a ripple effect on the atmosphere. That jet stream then dips back down, dividing the U.S. That then brings dry, warmer-than-usual conditions to southern states. Northern states see colder-than-normal temperatures and wetter conditions, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. La Nia winters tend to bring a lot of snow to the Pacific Northwest, and even across the Great Lakes and into New England. Southern states, by contrast, tend to see below-average snowfalls. [Image: NOAA] La Nia can also mean a more severe Atlantic hurricane season. So far this year, five tropical storms and four hurricanes have formed over the Atlantic, a bit below expectations. (On average, a hurricane season sees 18 topical storms.) But La Nia could bring more. “La Nia conditions are associated with more activity (double the amount) in November when compared to ENSO Neutral and especially when compared to Novembers with El Nio conditions, Matthew Rosencrans, lead hurricane seasonal forecaster with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), told USA Today. La Nia events can last one to three years, and a La Nia did span 2020 to 2023. The 2020 hurricane season saw the most tropical storms in the Atlantic ocean in any year on record, with 30 total. A weak La Nia, and whats next This La Nia is expected to be weak, experts say, but it could still alter our weather. A weak La Nia can also make it more difficult to predict that weather. A weak La Nia would be less likely to result in conventional winter impacts, though predictable signals could still influence the forecast guidance, per the Climate Prediction Center. 2024 saw a weak La Nia winter, but it still gave us typical La Nia impacts. Most of the southern U.S. and northern Mexico were predicted to be and turned out to be drier than average, with record-dry conditions in southern Arizona and parts of New Mexico, NOAA meteorologist Nat Johnson wrote last spring. Wetter conditions were forecasted and did prevail over the northern part of the continent, particularly in Alaska and parts of the Pacific Northwest. In some instances, though, the reality differed from forecasts, like when a ribbon of wetter-than-expected weather hit Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, and western Virginia. Despite these regional differences from expectations, Johnson wrote, the big picture was pretty La Nia-ish overall. La Nia and El Nio arent always active. These events typically happen every two to seven years, on average. The ENSO cycle is a break in normal wind and water patterns, and weather experts say well likely see a transition to ENSO-neutral conditions this spring.
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E-Commerce
For many high-impact runners, it fels like Mom and Dad are fighting. Strava, the popular fitness-tracking app, is suing the fitness wearable giant Garmin over alleged patent infringement and breach of conduct. The lawsuit, filed Sept. 30 in a Colorado district court, alleges that Garmin is infringing on two patents segments and heatmaps and also broke a written agreement between the two companies, as first reported by DC Rainmaker. For many athletes, Strava and Garmin go together like Oakley sunglasses and On Running shoes. A trend report published last year by Strava showed that Garmins Forerunner was among the most popular smartwatches for its users. If you didn’t track your run on Garmin and upload it to Strava, did it even happen? Now with a number of big races coming up, including the Chicago and New York City marathons, athletes are not taking the recent news well. When Garmin is going to stop uploading data to Strava on November 1st and thats literally the date of your marathon youve been training for a big PR for, one running influencer posted on TikTok. “Have you see the news that Mom and Dad are fighting?” ultra-runner Andy Glaze said in another video. “I’m sitting here with my thousand-dollar watch and my $80 app and thinking, can we just get a family meeting and start getting along again?” Already, some are taking sides and pledging their loyalties to one or the other, or joking about giving up on running altogether now that they may not be able to easily track their runs and post for their followings to see. On Thursday, Matt Salazar, Stravas chief product officer, took to Reddit to defend the companys lawsuit. Setting the record straight he shared that Garmin was requiring their logo be displayed alongside all activity posts or they will cut off access permitting Garmin activities to be uploaded to Strava. “We consider this blatant advertising. These new guidelines actively degrade your user experience on Strava,” Salazar wrote. The post, however, was met with widespread criticism, with the most upvoted replies calling Stravas stance hypocritical at best. So how do I get rid of the Strava logo when I want to share my data on social media? one Reddit user asked. As a premium (paid) Strava member I want to be clear that Strava’s only of use to me if works with Garmin, another wrote. The moment Strava no longer syncs with Garmin connect is the last time I open Strava. Fast Company has reached out to Garmin and Strava for comment. So what happens now? Likely nothing. Its in neither companys interest to stop the steady flow of data from Garmin to Strava, as the online backlash to the news of the lawsuit has shown. For those planning to simply switch to another smartwatch, like Suunto, in case the integration between the two companies does end, bad news: The Finnish brand has launched its own lawsuit against Garmin for patent infringement. Maybe its a sign to go back to when every 5K didnt need to be posted on social media.
Category:
E-Commerce
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