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player ready...Toys R Us said Tuesday that it plans to hire fewer holiday employees than it did last year but will give them significantly more hours in hopes of boosting sales as customers have a better experience.
The toy giant seemed to be a bit of an outlier as a report issued Tuesday by Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas said it anticipates holiday retail hiring to be about the same as last year. Retailers added about 755,000 people last year to their payrolls from October through December, down from 786,800 in 2013, which had been the strongest outlook since 1999.
The Challenger report attributed the flat 2015 forecast to increased hiring earlier this year and changes in shopping behaviors that enable stores to meet demand with fewer extra workers. Job seekers should look beyond traditional retail storefronts for opportunities that address the rise in online shopping, such as in warehouses and shipping facilities, as well as to restaurants and entertainment venues, the report said.
UPS said Tuesday that it plans to hire 90,000 to 95,000 holiday workers nationwide to handle shipping and deliveries, about the same as last year. About 4,400 of the jobs will be in the Chicago area, where UPS has jobs for drivers, driver helpers and package handlers. Wages range from $10.10 to $28 an hour depending on the job.
UPS, which came under fire for late deliveries during a last-minute rush of online shopping spurred by retailers’ promises of free shipping, told the Associated Press that it is better prepared this year because it is getting more updates from customers on how many orders they expect.
Target announced Monday that it plans to hire 70,000 holiday workers at its stores nationwide for the third year in a row.
Toys R Us said it expects to hire 40,000 mostly part-time employees to staff its stores and distribution centers nationwide during the busy gift-giving months, down from 45,000 last year. It will make about 1,500 hires in the Chicago market, including at stores and its Joliet distribution center.
But those workers will average 18 to 20 hours per week, and up to 30 hours during peak season, depending on their availability. Last year, such seasonal workers averaged 7 hours a week and up to 20 hours during peak season.
Toys R Us made the change in response to workers who said they wanted more hours, a spokeswoman said. The additional time on the job, the company said in a statement, will mean holiday hires “will be fully equipped to share their knowledge and skills to help ensure customers can check off everything on their little ones’ wish lists.”
Interviewing of holiday workers began this month; they’ll begin work in October, though staffing continues through December. Last year, 20 percent of the company’s seasonal workforce got jobs at Toys R Us after Christmas.
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