This weekend we will don our costumes and stock up on candy
to delight those trick-or-treaters, but as we do so, we will be inundated with
seasonal decorations not of the terrifying variety, but more so the red and
green kind (although admittedly this in itself is terrifying because of the
number of shopping days left!). Retailers have been getting ready for the
Christmas season for weeks, and that means new staff and stocking back rooms in
an effort to match customer service levels with expectations.
Based on research done through the year, and by comparing
annual sales, US retail consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas has predicted
that holiday sales for 2015 will be healthy, and anticipate retail hirings will
match or exceed the 755000 individuals hired for the 2014 season.
Many retailers have already started in an effort to ramp up
customer service levels. American Girl, a division of Mattel, started in June,
hiring almost 3000 seasonal workers for everything from floor staff to
packaging. Kohl’s and Target plan to hire more than 69000 new employees to
staff their stores across the U.S. Check out http://host.madison.com/business/holiday-hiring-gears-up/article_4e61e6a2-fe36-5b68-bd50-c1ae5b765ef5.html
for a few other retailers who are also taking charge early.
According to a recent Nasdaq release, Macy’s will also be
hiring 85000 workers, many for direct-to-consumer needs, for the upcoming
holiday season. Walmart will also increase its staff numbers by hiring 60000
seasonal workers to help handle the crowds.
Regular staffing however is not the problem. According to
the article, while soliciting seasonal floor staff isn’t necessarily an issue,
“employment agencies for retailers and logistics companies say they are already
having trouble finding warehouse workers to stock early holiday inventory and
employees to train for work in fulfillment centers, where holiday orders will
be packed and shipped.” This could spell problems when it comes down to the
wire. Read more about this here: http://www.nasdaq.com/article/macys-to-hire-85000-workers-for-holidays-20150921-00559.
If you’ve waited until now to start thinking about hiring
additional staff to ramp up customer service, you may just find that the
available workers are not what you’d hoped. You may also find timing is limited
when it comes to the training time required to ensure these workers are in
tip-top shape to handle the holiday madness. But what can you do? If you’re too
late, you’re too late, right? Nope. You just need the right company that can
offer people support in the form of professional, experienced, and trained
employees - then all the work is done for you.
Storesupport is just the company. We can provide the
individuals to help ensure your busy season is a little less stressful. Call us
today to find out more: 905.847.6513.