Even though there are a few months left until the holiday season starts, department store chain Macy’s is already making plans. To be more specific, they plan to start looking out for 85,000 temporary workers for their stores in the United States.
According to Reuters, this isn’t the first year when they have such big plans, as the same happened in 2014, when Macy’s recruited 86,000 temporary workers.
This year, 12,000 of the workers will be required for their facilities in Arizona, Connecticut and Oklahoma, while other 1,600 people will head to their customer service centers. Finally, more than 1,000 will occupy support staff positions, for the 88th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Santalands or other similar events.
The Holiday season always brings big profits
This announcement doesn’t come as a surprise, since it is well known that most of the U.S.-based retailers and not only get a very important percentage of their annual sales during such periods. And we’re not talking just about the weeks around Christmas, since the shopping season starts shortly after Thanksgiving and lasts until early January.
The National Retail Federation claims that the holiday shopping season accounts for 20 percent of the industry’s annual sales, so many companies are following Macy’s example. Also, the number of temporary workers they need can be considered a solid indicator of expectations for the next months. In this case, they’re more than just high.
Focusing on growth
Given the rebounding U.S. economy, it’s normal that retailers are fulfilled by optimism when it comes to the holiday season, especially Macy’s, as the company is making great efforts to put itself back on the growth trajectory, launching new businesses and special programs.
Recently, Macy’s revealed a plan to close up to 40 under performing stores in the first quarter of 2016, looking forward to containing costs and focus on developing new omni-channel operations.
