Goodwill, other retailers start holiday hiring frenzy

Retailers have started the holiday shopping season earlier this year with companies like Amazon and Target rolling out special deals this month. And while shoppers prepare for Halloween by buying candy and quirky costumes, companies like Goodwill of Southern Nevada are looking to bolster their workforce.

Goodwill hosted a hiring event on Friday at its distribution center off South Valley View Boulevard near Interstate 15. The nonprofit was hoping to fill several positions such as warehouse and logistics workers as well as cashiers for its clearance center.

Bryan Stewart, vice president of marketing and communications at Goodwill of Southern Nevada, said unlike traditional retailers, its busiest time of year comes early.

“I think for a lot of retailers and when you think of holiday season and the big push, you think about November, December,” Stewart said. “But what’s interesting, we have a big push actually leading into Halloween season. Halloween is kind of our Super Bowl.”

Stewart credits the increase on shoppers looking for costume pieces at Goodwill stores.

Families on a budget also visit Goodwill before Halloween and other holidays to decorate on a budget, according to Goodwill Store Manager Rachel Davis.

While the secondhand store hopes to meet consumer demand before Halloween, other major retailers like Target and Walmart are ramping up their hiring efforts before the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday shopping season. And the hiring blitz means potential jobs, whether seasonal or salaried, throughout Southern Nevada.

Bass Pro Shops held a national job fair this week to fill seasonal positions, including 65 positions at its Las Vegas store. Kroger-owned grocery chain Smith’s announced this week that it’s seeking new associates for “the holiday season and beyond,” and Amazon noted it’s planning to hire 2,000 workers in Clark County, or 150,000 across the country.

But analysts expect the holiday shopping season to be impacted by the uncertain economic environment, as budget-conscious shoppers navigate higher prices for food and other necessities amid high inflation and rising interest rates.

Salesforce, which analyzes online shopping data, forecasts digital sales to reach $265 billion in the U.S. in November and December. That means holiday sales will remain essentially flat compared with last year, bumping up only 3 percent, despite a strong showing compared with pre-pandemic levels, Salesforce said. Analysts note higher prices could also lead to fewer total orders. And the current inflation rate of 8.3 percent means retailers would see a decrease in real sales.

“Retailers remain cautious about the upcoming holiday season,” Bryan Wachter, senior vice president of the Retail Association of Nevada, said in a news release. “Consumer spending is not a full reflection of what retailers are facing with ongoing shortages, interest rate increases to battle inflation, and high cost of fuel for shipping goods.”

Hiring people has been a challenge the past two years as companies grapple with a labor shortage. The most recent job openings report for August showed there were 10.1 million open positions even as 6.3 million people were hired that month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The large number of job openings have made it a “constant struggle” for Goodwill to maintain its staffing levels, Stewart said.

“Like many employers, we are struggling to find qualified people at many positions, be it entry-level or even managers,” he said. “We’ll probably have five manager positions open at any given time.”

To combat the hiring challenges, many companies have started increasing wages and touting its employee benefits and discounts. Amazon recently increased wages for its fulfillment and transportation workers to $19 per hour and offers $1,000 to $3,000 sign-on bonuses in select locations. Bass Pro Shops said it offers a 50 percent employee discount, and following recent wage increases, Smith’s said its employees receive an average hourly rate of more than $17.

Goodwill has a more limited operating budget compared with publicly traded retailers such as Amazon. It has had to think creatively to attract workers.

Stewart said Goodwill tries to highlight its role within the community and the ability for employees to quickly rise through its ranks.

“We think if someone finds that appealing, working for a great purpose, starting now (and) advancing quickly, being part of the community, maybe when they see hiring events or maybe when they’re shopping Goodwill, that would actually move them into action … to inquire about working at Goodwill,” Stewart said.

Contact Sean Hemmersmeier at shemmersmeier@reviewjournal.com. Follow @seanhemmers34 on Twitter. The Associated Press contributed to this report.