1-800-FLOWERS.COM to Quadruple Workforce for Holidays

Digital gift marketplace 1-800-FLOWERS.COM Inc. will hire more than 10,000 seasonal workers across its gourmet foods and gifting brands — Harry & David, PersonalizationMall.com, Cheryl’s Cookies and The Popcorn Factory — as it anticipates increased online demand for the upcoming holiday season.

Hiring is underway for high-volume production, gift assembly, distribution and operational support, with remote contact center positions also available.

“We look forward to welcoming our many seasonal associates each year, as they play an integral role in helping us deliver millions of holiday smiles,” Steve Lightman, group president of gourmet foods and gift baskets, said in the company announcement.

The majority of the seasonal roles are being offered in Illinois, Ohio and Oregon, including some work-from-home positions. Year-round positions are also available across the 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. family of brands.

Related news: Supply Chains Could Be the Grinch That Steals Retail’s 2021 Holiday Season

Bottlenecks at major container ports, key factory closures in Asia and a shortage of truck drivers across Europe are starting to cause real concern in retail circles ahead of the holiday shopping season, likely leading to fewer choices and higher prices in the coming months.

U.S. shoemaker Steve Madden, for example, said in an earnings call last month that it has already moved about 50% of the production of its women’s products from China to Brazil and Mexico to shorten delivery times.

Steve Madden is one of several brands to be hit by factory shutdowns in Vietnam, a nation responsible for almost 40% of the volume of goods imported into the U.S. by sea over the past 12 months, according to S&P Global Panjiva. The Southeast Asian nation has been susceptible to factory shutdowns because much of its worker population is still unvaccinated.

Some U.S. firms, notably toymakers like Hasbro and Mattel, have also promised to work with more ocean and air freight carriers, to utilize more ports and to source products earlier from multiple countries to ensure product availability ahead of the holiday season.