Macy’s Eventizes Holiday Hiring

It seems everyone is getting out earlier with their holiday hiring plans. Target is conducting mass interview sessions, JCPenney is upping its temporary staff count and even Sears is getting in on the act and moving to swell its in-store job rolls as quickly as possible.

And into the mix this week drops Macy’s — the latest in a string of the biggest names in retail to get on the stick with its own unique contribution to holiday retail hiring.

The embattled apparel retailer will be hiring about the same number of workers it did last year — about 83,000 associates for positions across its Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores, call centers, distribution centers and online fulfillment centers nationwide.

But this year, Macy’s is trying out a new version of the hiring process with a national hiring holiday on Sept. 30. Those looking to work retail during the most wonderful time of the year will have the option of going to Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s or Backstage to apply.

Macy’s is also changing who it is hiring this year — not just how. Around 15,000 associates are being hired for direct-to-consumer fulfillment facilities that support sales generated by the company’s omnichannel business strategy. This is an increase of 3,000 positions compared to 2015. Those jobs won’t be in stores but in “mega-centers” in Arizona, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia, with extensions for specific product fulfillment in California, New Jersey and Maryland. On top of these hires, another 1,000 workers will be added to Macy’s roster for telephone, email and online chat at customer service centers in Ohio, Florida and Arizona.