How E-Commerce Is Shaping Target’s Holiday Staffing

Holiday staffing efforts are gaining steam in the grocery and retail worlds, and plans shared Thursday by Target show how e-commerce is shaping those plans as the all-important fourth quarter approaches.

The retailer anticipates seasonal hiring to be on-par with 2019. In total, nearly 40% of seasonal hires typically remain with Target following the holiday season.

That said, important changes are in store when it comes to holiday hiring and staffing. One of them includes having twice as many store team members dedicated to contactless services, including its Drive Up and Order Pickup program. As well, Target’s network of 43 distribution centers will hire more seasonal team members than last year to manage inventory being sent to stores.

Here are other features of Target’s holiday staffing plans:

• Team members stationed at the front of Target stores will focus on safety and cleaning, greeting and directing guests to help with their holiday shopping.
• Team members can work additional hours in their current role, and — new this year — train to work in other areas of the store. In fact, that resembles a big new staffing plan recently announced by Target rival Walmart..
• Target will hire extensively, with seasonal team members receiving a wage of $15 per hour and coronavirus health and wellness benefits

“The success of our business strategy rests on the strength of our team and their ability to adjust quickly to the needs of our guests and their changing shopping patterns,” said Melissa Kremer, Target’s chief human resources officer. “Throughout the year, the team has successfully balanced strong demand in our stores with surging digital volume. Knowing that the holiday season will be unlike any other, we’re building in even more flexibility to make sure Target remains a safe and convenient place to work and shop, while investing in our team’s industry-leading pay and benefits.”

During the first half of fiscal 2020, more than 10 million new customers shopped Target.com and demand for same-day fulfillment options quadrupled, the retailer said.

To prepare for the season, Target store and distribution team members have completed more than 400,000 hours of safety training this year, with hundreds of thousands of additional hours anticipated before the end of the year.

Target operates more than 1,800 stores, 39 distribution centers and Target.com. The Minneapolis-based company is No. 7 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer's 2020 list of the top food retailers in North America.