The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

Local News

December 2, 2009

Not many retailers doing seasonal hiring

KIMBERLY BELLAMY

If you’re hoping the holiday season will greet you with temporary employment, than you’re pretty much out of luck in Tarboro.

Althea Hopkins of the Employment Security Commission office in Tarboro said that the biggest employer that hires seasonally during the holiday are retailers, but doesn’t anticipate many will be doing that this year.

“Normally every year employers start seasonal hiring starting in October,” she said.

“Even seasonal work is down. Employers aren’t hiring as many people as they have been.”

Retailers said such as Family Dollar, Cato’s, Shoe Department and It’s Fashion all said they were fully staffed, didn’t bring on additional workers for the holidays, and doesn’t plan on doing any seasonal hiring.

“We typically keep the same staff. We’re normally fully staffed so we keep the staff we already have,” said Linda Vines, manager of Cato’s.

It’s Fashion, which is owned by Cato’s, does have some occasional seasonal hiring, but only for those who worked there in the past.

“If you’re a senior and go off to college, that job will stay open for you seasonally,” said Lisa Williams, manager of It’s Fashion.

Pamela Wiley of the managerial staff at Maxway said that they were actually short a cashier, but wasn’t given any additional hours for seasonal help.

There were a few retailers that did expand their staff for the holidays including Dollar Tree who hired about 3-4 more workers.

Dollar General assistant manager Jami Gay said that they typically do seasonal hiring.

One of the Wal-Mart managers, Ken who wouldn’t provide his last name, said they are in process of seasonal hiring.

“Right now we are and we already done some … We generally do (seasonal hiring), but this year we did more part-time hiring so people would have jobs,” he said.

Those who are lucky enough to land a seasonal job see it as a big benefit, although it may just be temporary.

John Baker, 20, is working at Marrow-Pitt Ace Home Center seasonally to fill the void his construction job has left him. He works with Old North State Renovations during the spring and summer, and when work slows down there, the returns to Ace during the fall and winter.

“I go where the works at. (With seasonal work) you get extra hours which is always a plus. Everyone needs a little overtime,” Baker said.

“We hire anywhere from two to five guys for the Christmas trees, and the Christmas rush. It’s worked out real well with us,” said Ace President Mears Pitt.

The budget may not be there for some retailers, but Ace has a particular Christmas decoration that’s in high demand.

“The trees are really what saved us,” Pitt said.

The entire retail market in Tarboro didn’t hold off from hiring seasonally, but it won’t help the 17 percent unemployment rate the county has.

“With the rates being as high as they have been, it hasn’t had much of an impact,” Hopkins said.

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