Macy’s to hire 80,000 seasonal employees

Macy's is already gearing up for the holiday season.

Beyond putting put Christmas trees in the ungodly time of mid-September, the retail giant has announced it will hire 80,000 seasonal employees for the holidays. This marks an increase of 2.5 percent over last year's hires, according to CNN Money. 

The new hires will be used for both Macy's and Bloomingdale's sales floors, store operations and call centers, as well as shipping centers for online orders.

Terry J. Lundgren, Macy’s, Inc. chairman, president and chief executive officer, said in a statement to Business Week, “Hiring additional associates for holidays ensures that our customers are well-served in this busy shopping period – both on the sales floor and behind the scenes. Moreover, our seasonal positions help a wide range of Americans earn extra money. In many cases, these are students working to help pay tuition, retirees seeking to remain active and individuals wanting to supplement their income.” 

Lundgren added that working at Macy's during the holidays isn't simply all work. "It is a magical time of year, and helping customers select gifts from Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s is a special experience that generations of associates have enjoyed and found rewarding.”

Macy's isn't the only department store hiring in droves this season. According to USA Today, Toys R Us plans to hire 45,000 seasonal workers, Wal-Mart plans to bump up its employment numbers by 50,000 and Kohl's will also be hiring an additional 52,700 employees.