The holidays are right around the corner, and along with the reunions, good times and parties, it means one more thing — something that can be best summed-up in the first five words of a classic 1973 O’Jays tune: For the Love of Money.
Last year, a Scotiabank survey estimated that Canadians would spend an average of $790 on various holiday expenses.
A lot of that cash will be spent in big-box retailers like Future Shop and Best Buy — who are/will be making a combined total of 8,000 hires for the holiday season, stretching from now until the new year. Hires will be offered the same wage as existing employees and also receive full employee discounts for their term — helping to ease the financial burden of the season.
Chris Taylor, head of human resources for Future Shop, says the stores are looking to increase their in-store staff by 40-50 per cent for the month of December. Hires will vary by market and store, so he says interested individuals should inquire at the locations nearest to them.
Taylor, along with Danielle Jang of Best Buy, is anticipating a successful season even though the economy has been in a slump. With great deals on a wide variety of items, they expect the seasonal hires to be quite busy throughout the season. This is especially good for Future Shop sales associates who are able to earn commission.
So what kind of discounts can seasonal hires expect? According to Taylor, it varies on the product. For example, items like laptop computers that are sold at a relatively small margin, will not provide the opportunity for huge savings. Items such as television sets, accessories and other items sold at wider margins, however, will offer staff to take advantage of some great savings opportunities.
Every little bit helps around this time.
