If your jewelry store hasn’t started its holiday hiring yet, it’s time to put up those “help wanted” signs in the shop windows or online, says Micaela Burke of the employment consulting firm Atrium.
As consumers are looking for businesses that emphasize customer service during the holiday season, Burke says it’s important for jewelry retailers to think through their hiring process—determining which skills you need hires to have and starting the holiday employee search in October (or earlier), so holiday sales can get up and running as smoothly as possible.
“Look at the staff you currently have—they’re the ones that will sell to your top clients and have that product knowledge. If you focus your holiday hiring on employees who don’t need those same skills, like college students, they are a great resource for areas such as gift wrapping or greeting customers,” says Burke, division director for Atrium, which works with companies ranging from startups to large global brands..
“College students are quick to learn, they’re energetic, they want to be there, and they want to make money during the holidays,” she adds.
Burke recommends offering incentives, such as bonus pay or store discounts, to get prospective holiday employees excited about the job. She recalls that when she was an intern, she was motivated by the opportunity to attend the employee sample sale if she completed her tasks.
“If your holiday hires put in the work, show up on time, and do everything you want them to do, then maybe you want to offer the employee discount that a regular employee might earn without having to be there long-term,” says Burke.
According to Deloitte’s annual holiday retail forecast, released Sept. 12, seasonal sales are likely to increase between 2.3% and 3.3% in 2024 compared with 2023 (when holiday sales rose 4.3% over the previous year). Deloitte says a key driver of holiday sales this year will be e-commerce, with online business expected to grow 7% to 9%.
“While this holiday season reflects a return to trend levels of growth, retailers who focus on building loyalty and trust with consumers could be well-positioned for success,” Michael Jeschke, a principal at Deloitte and its retail and consumer products leader, said in a statement.
Business and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas predicts that retailers overall will hire fewer people this holiday season than in years past, due to softening in the labor market and economy.
Challenger expects retailers will add 520,000 jobs in the last quarter of 2024, compared with the 564,200 new jobs of 2023’s final quarter, according to its analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2024 forecast does surpass the 509,300 jobs added in the final quarter of 2022, but would be second-lowest total since 2009, Challenger said.
Burke advises jewelry retailers to seek holiday hires with expert knowledge of jewelry and/or skill at serving customers who want help selecting a gift.
“There are layers of complexity because of fine jewelry’s niche in the marketplace,” she says. “A big piece of the hiring puzzle is finding people with a natural interest in fine jewelry versus someone who is doing the hiring at a big-box type of a store where you want them to be able to do a variety of things.”
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)
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