Retailer Home Depot is stepping up their seasonal hiring this year.
January 13, 2012- Home Depot, Inc. has announced its plans to hire its annual seasonal workers. The company has accelerated its plans by nearly a month to hire 70,000 workers for its U.S. stores. The hiring plans were announced in preparation of the stiff competition for selling flowers, grills, fertilizers and other seasonal items to consumers who are still reluctant to spend on large ticket items.
The largest retailer for home improvement in the world is hiring one month earlier than it did last year, leading up to its best selling season for the year. Starting in February, Home Depot stores in south Florida will start to hire workers.
This is all in preparation of a large number of discounts the retailer will offer on lawn mowers, shrubs, patio furniture and other seasonal products as warm weather starts to take hold across the country. The retailer is preparing for stiff competition from Wal-Mart, Lowes and other smaller independent retailers.
Analysts say that seasonal items have helped the retailer. One analyst in New York said, “Small ticket items are clearly what are driving sales, large ticket items continue to slump.”
Home Depot has introduced a more rigorous testing and training process in order to find the most qualified worker for the seasonal jobs. These jobs will be temporary and the retailer has not decided on its plans for hiring permanent staff.
