Retail giant Macy’s said it plans to hire 80,000 seasonal workers this year, a 2.5 percent increase from the additional holiday workforce it brought on last year. The extra hands will augment the year-round workforce of 175,000, staffing stores, taking online orders, and assisting other operations for Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s department stores during the holiday shopping rush. In September Toys R Us announced it would bring on 45,000 seasonal employees, and Kohl’s said it plans to hire an extra 52,700. The stores are gearing up for Black Friday, generally seen as a barometer for how retail will fare through the holidays.
