Macy’s begins huge holiday hiring push

The workforce at Macy’s will swell by 50% in the coming month as the department store retailer looks to elevate service levels during the holiday season.



Macy’s said it plans to hire 85,000 workers, versus 86,000 last year, for temporary positions at its Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores, call centers, distribution centers and online fulfillment centers. The company had roughly 167,000 employees at the end of its fiscal year on Jan. 31, 2015.



"Macy's and Bloomingdale's customers have come to appreciate the higher level of our staffing and service throughout the Christmas and holiday shopping season, and our associates love the employment and income-earning opportunities at this very special time of the year," said Terry Lundgren, Macy's chairman and CEO. "We first offer our current associates the opportunity to work extra hours over the holidays, then supplement our ongoing workforce with seasonal hires. This enhanced staffing allows us to provide additional help to customers, whether they are shopping in stores or online."



Online is an area where the $28 billion department store retailer is looking to elevate its game again this year so a large number of positions are related to executing the company’s omnichannel strategy. For example, 12,000 of the 85,000 positions this year will be based in the company’s direct-to-consumer fulfillment centers compared to 10,000 of last year’s 86,000 temporary positions. The positions are located in large distribution centers in Goodyear, Arizona; Cheshire, Connecticut; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Portland, Tennessee; and Martinsburg, West Virginia, and in product-specific fulfillment centers in Sacramento, California; Stone Mountain, Georgia; Secaucus, New Jersey; and Joppa, Maryland.



The company is also ramping up customer service efforts via telephone, email and online chat by hiring 1,600 people at facilities in Mason, Ohio; Clearwater, Florida; Tempe, Arizona; and St. Louis. Last year, the company hired about 1,125 people at those same facilities.



"These seasonal positions represent much-needed jobs for America, and they fill an important niche in the employment spectrum. Especially at the holidays, we employ students working during break to help pay tuition, retirees seeking to remain active and individuals from many walks of life wanting to supplement their income. We are proud to offer them this opportunity to work in a fun, fast-paced and respectful environment," Lundgren said.