Target and Walmart are gearing up for a holiday season unlike any other. Despite the overall sluggish job market, openings are plentiful at the two retail giants. Both companies announced their seasonal hiring initiatives one after the other:...
Target and Walmart are gearing up for a holiday season unlike any other. Despite the overall sluggish job market, openings are plentiful at the two retail giants.
Both companies announced their seasonal hiring initiatives one after the other: Walmart on Sept. 23, and Target on Sept. 24. Combined, they are filling an estimated 150,000 seasonal jobs. Recruitment is fast-tracked, and you can start at $15 an hour in as little as a couple days.
“As more [customers] turn to online shopping, we want to ensure we’re staffed and ready to help deliver that special gift to their loved ones while continuing to fulfill our customer’s everyday needs,” Greg Smith, an executive vice president at Walmart, said in a hiring announcement.
That’s true for both companies, as they each cited surges in online orders throughout the pandemic.
Target did not provide a hard number of job openings but said it plans to recruit about the same number of seasonal workers as last year, which was 130,000. The year before, Target hired 120,000.
Walmart, by contrast, has shied away from hiring seasonal workers en masse the past few years in efforts to increase worker retention. But due to the surge in online orders spurred by the pandemic, it expects to fill about 20,000 new seasonal roles at its e-commerce fulfillment centers.
Seasonal Jobs at Target
Target’s seasonal job openings span a variety of in-store and distribution center roles.
In-store roles include cashiers, general managers, Starbucks baristas, tech-, style-, grocery- and beauty-department associates as well as general merchandise associates, shelf stockers and more. These in-store positions will be trained to staff pick-up and drive-up orders.
Jobs at Target’s distribution centers include general warehouse workers, packers and fulfillment center and operations workers. These positions require frequently lifting and carrying items up to 60 pounds.
Find more information on the seasonal openings and apply to jobs online through Target’s seasonal job board.
As of June, Target enacted a company-wide $15 minimum wage. The company also offers benefits to seasonal workers including:
Employee discounts, between 10% and 20%. Free mental health and other life counseling. Free virtual doctor visits. An updated absenteeism policy that allows for unpaid time off for coronavirus-related reasons and two weeks of paid sick leave for confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Seasonal Jobs at Walmart
Walmart’s 20,000 new seasonal positions are limited to fulfillment centers, not retail stores.
Walmart fulfillment centers are recruiting in these 12 states:
California Florida Georgia Indiana Kansas Kentucky Nevada New Jersey Ohio Pennsylvania South Carolina Texas
Fulfillment center positions include freight loaders, order fillers and packers; and forklift, pallet-jack and other industrial equipment operators.
View job descriptions and apply via Walmart’s seasonal job board — or by texting FC to 240240.
Walmart does not have a company-wide minimum wage, but the starting pay for these seasonal jobs is $15.75.
In the hiring announcement, Walmart said it’s continuously recruiting part- and full-time employees in stores as well. These positions are permanent and separate from the seasonal hiring initiative.
Over the course of the pandemic, Walmart has hired 500,000 workers and continues to be the nation’s largest employer.
Adam Hardy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. He covers the gig economy, entrepreneurship and unique ways to make money. Read his ?latest articles here, or say hi on Twitter @hardyjournalism.
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