Retailers’ Recipe for the Holidays: Big Sales; Fewer Seasonal Workers
Holiday season employment
Across the country, retailers are expected to hire from 500,000 to 550,000 seasonal workers this holiday,
down from the roughly 575,000 who were hired last year, according to the National Retail Federation.
But like so much about the retail industry, holiday hiring is in flux, even as stores are poised for a big shopping season.
“During the holiday season, we have millions more hours available than we do
during any other time of the year,” a Walmart spokesman said in a statement.
This year the company said it would hire around 80,000 seasonal workers, about 4 percent fewer than last year.
Executives at Walmart said the decision to forgo adding thousands of seasonal workers was made partly
because so many store employees, including those working part time, having been trained in how to navigate new technologies, like hand-held devices for pricing goods and tracking inventory.
Ms. Colon, 36, is part of an army of temporary retail workers who are hired every year to help with the holiday shopping crush.
Nearly a quarter of those temporary workers, about 18,000, will be working in fulfillment
centers across the country, in places like Goodyear, Ariz., and Martinsburg, W. Va.
Macy’s is trying to stem the flow of sales to Amazon by pushing an “omni-channel” strategy meant to be all things to all shoppers: a helpful
and engaging shopping experience in stores, an alluring website and quick home delivery.