The holiday shopping season is kicking off earlier than ever amid the pandemic, and retailers are shifting their approach to seasonal hiring in order to keep up with changing demand. Companies are looking for more warehouse and call center workers to meet their growing demands from online shoppers, opting for home delivery or curbside pick-up. New rules for in-store shopping are in place making employees and shoppers safe by sanitizing shelves and checking temperatures at the door. Some retailers are even boosting pay and offering perks like flexible hours and childcare to attract workers.
This year the holiday shopping season began Tuesday October 13, 2020 with Amazon Prime Day. Target has started online shopping with plans to double the number of employees dedicated to curbside pickup, with many retailers limiting the number of people shopping inside on Black Friday to 20% capacity. Many other retail stores are offering discounts via text messages or emails, and free shipping on all products.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) is the world’s largest retail association that currently is forecasting retail sales in 2020 to increase by 3.5 to 4.1 percent despite trading wars, the coronavirus and the presidential election.
The trucking industry will also see a lot more demand during the holiday shopping season causing delays for shipments and possibly out of stock items much sooner. Whether you shop online or instore, the NRF suggests you get your shopping done early.
