Oct 29, 2009

Retailers go Grinch on holiday jobsBy Laura Baverman and Russ ZimmerNewarkAdvocate.com

Newark — The holiday-season job of stocking store shelves, running a register or wrapping gifts used to be as reliable as Santa at every mall.

That was before retailers faced millions of frugal shoppers and months of dropping sales. In 2009, national surveys predict holiday store staffing levels will be well below previous years.

Nationwide, only 220,000 seasonal jobs were added in 2008, compared to 600,000 in 2007, said Ellen Davis, vice president of the National Retail Federation. SnagAJob.com expects retailers to hire 16 percent fewer workers this holiday season compared to last.

Declining sales have prompted retailers to make adjustments throughout the year.

Through the first eight months of this year, Licking County is behind last year’s sales tax collections by 7 percent, according a report from the Ohio Department of Taxation. Franklin County is down about 13 percent — well behind the state’s slide of 7.6 percent through August.

Retailers have countered by slashing operating expenses, reducing inventory, scaling back new-store openings and cutting hours at existing locations. Still, labor remains the biggest cost of all, Davis said.

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