Layoffs create surge in applications for holiday retail jobs

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

NEW YORK - The odds of landing a part-time job at department store operator Bealls Outlet Stores Inc. this holiday season are slimmer than getting into Harvard: It's one out of every 45.

Don't think the chances are any better at 7-Eleven. One California store received more than 100 applicants in a week and a half for jobs that pay $8.50 per hour — and the retailer doesn't even usually hire holiday workers.

From department stores and convenience chains to call centers, managers who only a year ago had to scramble to fill holiday jobs are seeing a surge in the number of seasoned applicants — many of them laid off in other sectors and desperate for a way to pay the bills.

The flood of jobseekers comes even as the retail industry drastically cuts back on holiday hiring because of the drop-off in consumer spending, and the applicants — who differ from the usual pool, teens or stay-at-home moms looking for extra spending money — reflect the nation's fast-deteriorating job market.

...

Since the financial meltdown intensified in September, leading to massive layoffs across several industries, a growing number of the unemployed have been turning to lower-paying jobs in the retail sector, which they thought could help them get by until they found full-time work in their specialized fields or retrain in other areas.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27665672/

[rebeccajo 14]

Today at my job there were a group of ladies talking about going down to K-Mart and applying for Christmas work.

[Ban Hammer 14,714]

so they are doing the jobs americans won't do?

[rebeccajo 14]

so they are doing the jobs americans won't do?

Have you had a little extra tonite?

[Ban Hammer 14,714]

so they are doing the jobs americans won't do?

Have you had a little extra tonite?

want me to pour some for you? it's egg nog and wild turkey 101.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

so they are doing the jobs americans won't do?

Have you had a little extra tonite?

want me to pour some for you? it's egg nog and wild turkey 101.

Nessa must have the patience of a saint

[Ban Hammer 14,714]

so they are doing the jobs americans won't do?

Have you had a little extra tonite?

want me to pour some for you? it's egg nog and wild turkey 101.

Nessa must have the patience of a saint

i'm enjoying this pregnancy more than she is - i get all the beer!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

so they are doing the jobs americans won't do?

Have you had a little extra tonite?

want me to pour some for you? it's egg nog and wild turkey 101.

Nessa must have the patience of a saint

i'm enjoying this pregnancy more than she is - i get all the beer!

bwahahaha

[Ban Hammer 14,714]

so they are doing the jobs americans won't do?

Have you had a little extra tonite?

want me to pour some for you? it's egg nog and wild turkey 101.

Nessa must have the patience of a saint

i'm enjoying this pregnancy more than she is - i get all the beer!

bwahahaha

and btw i'm the patient one.

[HAL 9000 96]

Most retailers use online application forms that run basic background checks, including verifying legal status to work. So the Americans willing to do the job other Americans won't do is well... pretty much the only ones that can at most retailers that hire seasonal employees.

[mawilson 2,133]

Layoffs create surge in applications for holiday retail jobs

SURGE FTW!