Key Takeaways:
- Retailers are shifting 2026 holiday hiring toward fulfillment, BOPIS, delivery and returns roles, with NRF projecting holiday sales to hit $1.013 trillion.
- Amazon and UPS are adding hundreds of thousands of seasonal workers, intensifying labor competition and pushing retailers to cut time-to-hire.
- Top seasonal hires can rotate across the sales floor, pickup desk and returns counter during peak shifts, including evenings and weekends.
- Seasonal roles are a talent pipeline: nearly half of Michaels’ seasonal hires converted to permanent roles, and workers ages 18 to 24 now make up 40% of retail applicants.
Holiday Hiring Shifts Toward Fulfillment and Flexibility
Heading into the 2026 holiday season, retailers are tightening hiring strategies around warehouse, delivery, fulfillment, buy online pick up in store (BOPIS), and returns roles rather than broad sales floor headcount. The National Retail Federation projects November and December retail sales will grow 4.2% over 2025, reaching $1.013 trillion, with retailers expected to add between 325,000 and 375,000 seasonal workers to meet demand.
Logistics demand is surging. UPS is bringing on 100,000 seasonal workers, and Amazon plans to add 300,000 seasonal, part-time and full-time U.S. roles, up 20% from last year, signaling strong competition for available labor. Store-level hiring is more selective, focused on pickup, returns and ship-from-store functions rather than registers. Macy’s is recruiting across Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury locations, plus select supply chain sites, using a simplified application process that includes a recorded interview option, a model smaller retailers can learn from to reduce time-to-hire.
Where Should Retailers Focus Seasonal Hiring?
Warehouse and delivery roles are where seasonal hiring demand is concentrating. Picking, packing, sorting and inventory movement are the core functions retailers need to staff, and titles like seasonal warehouse associate, fulfillment associate, package handler and delivery support are drawing the most applicants. When structuring these roles, pay rate, shift premiums and physical requirements carry as much weight as the base hourly wage in attracting and retaining qualified workers.
Store-level roles in customer service, inventory, fulfillment, and back-of-house functions still need to be filled. Workers who can rotate between the sales floor, pickup desk, and returns counter offer the most operational flexibility. Prioritize candidates who are upfront regarding availability for peak shifts, including evenings, weekends, and the post-Christmas returns surge, when staffing pressure tends to peak.
Can Seasonal Hires Turn Into Long-Term Staff?
Yes. Seasonal hiring can serve as a low-risk audition for permanent talent. Michaels reported that nearly half of last year’s seasonal hires converted to permanent positions. Use the holiday period to evaluate workers who show up consistently, learn multiple tasks, and adapt to shifting demands. Those are the candidates worth retaining when the season ends.
Younger workers are reshaping the applicant pool. Candidates ages 18 to 24 made up 40% of retail applicants in September, up from 37% a year earlier, according to iCIMS. Retailers who want to capture this segment need streamlined processes: listings that clearly state pay, available shifts, weekend requirements and contract length convert better with Gen Z applicants. Several retailers now allow texting to apply or schedule interviews, cutting friction and reducing time-to-hire for first-time job seekers.
(Note: AI assisted in summarizing the key points for this story.)