Target said Thursday it will hire 130,000 temporary workers for the holiday season, on par with 2019 levels, but with one key difference: a much larger number of those workers will be deployed to support the chain’s burgeoning e-commerce business. . . . Discounts.
The company, whose e-commerce sales jumped nearly 200% last quarter, said twice as many workers compared to the previous year would help Target store staff areas make purchases online on the sidewalk and at the street. street street. buy the same day. Typically, about 40% of the holiday season temperatures remain at Target after the holiday period.
Many shoppers, concerned about spending too much time in stores during the pandemic, have leaned toward sidewalk and in-store digital order picking, benefiting chains like Target, Walmart, and Best Buy that have outfitted their stores to handle that. . . . Behavior change. About 90% of Target’s online orders are now processed in stores.
“We continue to see guests gravitate toward simple, convenient and contactless ways to shop through our digital channels,” Target CEO Brian Cornell told reporters on a conference call Thursday. He also expects shoppers to start spending early this year and avoid the Black Friday crowds.
Walmart has adopted a similar tactic: This year it has hired nearly 500,000 part-time and full-time workers for store and distribution center staff and is hiring 20,000 seasonal workers for its fulfillment centers as it seeks to compete with the Amazon fast delivery for the holidays. . season.
Overall, consumer spending will decline this holiday season compared to last year, so it’s paramount for traditional retailers to be at the top of their ecommerce game. The consultancy Deloitte has forecast that Christmas sales could increase between 1% and 1.5%.
Kohl’s, which unlike Target and Walmart is dealing with steep declines in sales, also announced the hiring for the holiday season on Thursday. But the company did not provide a number, although it took 90,000 temperatures last year. Like its rivals, Kohl’s recruiting focuses on e-commerce and says, “We have the right staff to support scaling up digital compliance efforts.”
