A few of the most prominent ones, including L.L. Several Lionel Kiddie City Toys and Playworld stores almost double their staffs to meet seasonal demand, said Neil Friedman, chief operating officer.Ĭatalog merchants that take orders around the clock also significantly supplement their regular staffs ahead of the holidays. said it again is averaging 12 to 15 extra employees per store, helping mainly with stock replenishment.īut for some chains, the holidays bring a huge staff buildup. Retailers and shopping mall operators contacted at random reported their holiday hiring is roughly the same as last year. Full-time workers are being asked to work overtime while part-timers are staying on the job longer, Bivins said. So stores are rearranging work schedules to cover peak shopping hours. For instance, they arrange with manufacturers to have merchandise arrive at stores with price tags already attached.Īfter three straight gloomy Christmases, one of the last things retailers want is for sales gains to be eaten up by higher payroll tabs, Bivins said.
#Stores that hire holiday gift wrappers free
Retailers have been trying in recent years to free employees from time-consuming back room tasks so they can spend more time on the selling floors. This is part of a broader, industrywide trend to streamline operations and cut costs, observed Jackie Bivins, who tracks the retail industry for the accounting and consulting firm Coopers & Lybrand. Storeowners prefer to boost the productivity of their current staffs rather than expand payrolls. This is a back-to-basics Christmas," he said, noting that discount stores - generally not known for their customer service - are expected to be the star performers.
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"And, I don't think the consumer this year is looking for that much in service. Make things a little easier with the help from our experienced gift wrapping Taskers. "Stores can't afford to hire excessively," Humphreys said. Manpower, a Milwaukee-based temporary employment service, has fielded calls for people to demonstrate toys and products, package and ship merchandise at catalog distribution centers and handle a possible overflow of data processing because greater credit card use is anticipated.Īlthough retail employment will swell beyond existing levels in the second half of December, the surge will be small and retailers won't totally rethink their holiday staffing plans, said Jeff Humphreys, director of economic forecasting for the University of Georgia. "Now people are feeling better and we're seeing a substantial influx of requests" to train and provide workers, she said. Still, a pickup in shopping as Christmas approaches may prompt stores to add more temporary workers."The retailers this year did not overhire earlier in the season because they had a wait-and-see attitude," said Sharon Canter, director of strategic information at Manpower Inc. The retail tradition of hiring extra help for the holidays, from gift wrappers to Santa Clauses, hasn't become a thing of Christmases past.īut stores squeezed by competitive pressures and uneasy about economic conditions are holding the line on holiday hiring this season, as they have in recent years.
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