Retailers don't expect jolly holidays: While seasonal hiring will drop, this area may not be hit as hard
PrintOct. 4--Retailers gearing up for the holidays typically hire hundreds of thousands of short-term employees to help stock shelves, ring out purchases and gussy up the shopper-ravaged aisles. But with consumers planning to trim their holiday budgets again this year, retailers said they'll keep employment rolls slim to match.
Last holiday season, the number of seasonal workers hired nationwide to help retailers through their busiest time of year fell 62 percent from the year before. This year, that number is projected to fall even further, as 40 percent of stores surveyed by the Hay Group said they planned to hire five to 25 percent fewer holiday helpers than in 2008.
But the Western New York market could be spared much of that increased drop. In fact, the region didn't experience as severe a decline in hiring last year, according to local retail industry insiders. While hiring may fall off a bit, hiring here is expected to stay largely the same as last year -- making the local outlook seem downright rosy compared with the rest of the country.
"It appears as though we are going to mirror what we experienced last year and maybe [do] slightly better," said Jeff Ohle, property manager for McKinley Mall. "The 62 percent number sounds a bit high. That may have been the case for some harder hit regions of the country, but that is not what we experienced at McKinley."
Some malls even bucked national trends last year by hiring more holiday help than in previous years.
Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls, which opened a slew of new stores just before the holidays last year, broke hiring records. That mall has been buoyed by sales from Canadian traffic and newly frugal consumers looking for a bargain. Interior stores there and at Eastern Hills Mall are hovering at 100 percent occupancy, with many of the new stores already on the lookout for holiday help.
Back-to-school sales, a major indicator of shopper willingness to spend, did better (or less badly) than expected nationally, falling just 2.9 percent from 2008. Though local numbers aren't yet available, industry executives here have been "pleased" with what they saw and believe it will translate into strong holiday sales. "I don't expect anything majorly crazy -- we are all so conscious about the economy," said Mary Whelan, general manager at the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls. "But back-to-school was a really nice glimmer of 'We're almost there.' "
Those sales numbers will have a lot to do with how many payroll hours corporate decision-makers give to local stores. Of course, like last year, many retailers will try to do more with much less. Instead of hiring fewer people to work more hours, stores are expected to take on more part-time employees, who would remain on call in the event sales pick up. Also like last year, existing employees are given first crack at additional holiday hours -- an option more workers could take advantage of in this economy.
Stores are also hiring later than usual. While stores usually begin hiring in early October, they are expected to hold off until after Halloween this year. That's partly because customers are shopping later, but some said the expectation of higher gift card sales this year would translate
into more post-holiday purchases, stretching out the holiday season along with the demand for seasonal help.
High unemployment numbers mean the amount of people seeking seasonal help is projected to increase this year, so those looking for work can expect stiffer competition than the usual group of job seekers merely looking to pad gift spending budgets.
"The pool of candidates is really strong," Whelan said.
But experts encourage job seekers to look beyond the traditional sales floor jobs and into more behind-the-scenes holiday help.
"There is anything you could imagine," said Betsey Bonvissuto, marketing director at Boulevard Mall.
Despite the obvious sweater folders, perfume spritzers and cash register ringers, job availability in stocking, shipping, maintenance, recruiting and human resources increases as well. FedEx, UPS and even Fisher- Price will all be on the lookout for seasonal help.
The East Aurora-headquartered toy maker will start searching for more than 150 full-and part-time consumer relations call handlers next month. Even during the consumer spending crisis that began just before the holidays last year, Fisher-Price actually increased its seasonal work force by 35 percent. That's because more of its toy line, such as its Plug and Play devices, uses sophisticated technology, so consumers need more help than ever getting them up and running. On its busiest day last year, the day after Christmas, the East Aurora workforce handled 3,000 calls per hour.
"Having the appropriate amount of staff to be there for our consumers when they have a question or issue is a major priority for us," said Brenda Andolina, spokeswoman for Fisher- Price.
Despite stores' late hiring start, now is the time to start looking for seasonal positions, according to mall executives. Job seekers scan the job postings on mall and corporate Web sites, network with the managers at their favorite stores and watch for the small "Now Hiring" stickers beginning to pop up in store windows and doors. More than anything, potential employees shouldn't let the national headlines discourage their job search.
"There certainly has been some pullback, but we've been in this pattern for a year now," said McKinley's Ohle. "We're hopeful things will be stronger than last year. We're more optimistic."
schristmann@buffnews.com
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