Nationwide worker shortage complicates holiday hiring. How it's impacting Oklahoma
Dale Denwalt and Jessie Christopher Smith, Oklahoman
5 min read
The nationwide worker shortage still lingers as a roadblock for employers, especially during the annual hiring surge to meet consumer demand during the holidays.
Stephanie Haley, general manager at JCPenney in Moore, said she's been able to cope by making a job at the retailer more attractive.
"The good thing is that JCPenney is trying to combat that by offering an incentive for our associates who currently work in the building, and new hires," she said.
They'll receive an extra $2 an hour during weekend shifts and on Black Friday and Christmas Eve.
That kind of incentive is keeping businesses staffed with enough employees that they can operate, said Don Morris, division director of workforce development for the state Commerce Department.
Employees work inside an Amazon Fulfillment Center in Grapevine, Texas, at 2601 W Bethel Road.
"One of the things that we have seen is there are certain companies changing things to avoid (staffing shortages) being their problem for this holiday season, making pay adjustments and doing some other things, flexibility of hours and things like that."
The holiday hiring surge is an annual tradition for employers who see a spike in business as holiday shoppers cross off their wish lists. Walmart announced it would hire 150,000 employees across the country. UPS said it planned to hire 1,000 people in Oklahoma City alone.
At the Moore JCPenney, the goal was to have about three dozen employees on payroll.
"Any time there's a goal of like 38, you want to shoot for higher because you've got to account for some turnover. And that's what we do," Haley said.
The store currently employs about 50 people, so most of the challenges of the pandemic-strained worker shortage have been addressed.
Morris said a company can be successful if they're willing to adapt to the reality of a workforce that is, for whatever reason, hesitant or unable to go back to their old careers.
"The employers that are making changes to lure those people back aren't having the problems of anybody who's going into it exactly like years past," he said.
Simply announcing you have open positions isn't good enough.
"It's a job-seekers' market, and they're they're voting with their feet in terms of the kind of jobs that they want to apply for," Morris said.
One downside, at least at the consumer level, is that more lucrative hiring packages could hit shoppers' bottom lines. Jeff Cato, vice president of digital marketing and e-commerce at Oklahoma City-based Jasco Products, said that customers could see higher prices across the board when they go shopping.
While a big chunk of those increases are linked to supply chain disruptions and shortages of raw materials, the cost of payroll factors into the price at checkout.
"You look at the staffing and labor shortages and companies are having to spend more money either to recruit or retain people," Cato said. "That increases the cost of goods coming through in addition to the supply chain part, because you've got to have labor to help process all that. So that adds to the inflation and cost increases."
Target employees get last-minute instructions in 2015 before opening the doors for Thanksgiving Day shoppers to get a jump on Black Friday.
Retail giant Walmart won't even bother with Thanksgiving sales in store
While some stores struggle to hire seasonal workers, Walmart will have one fewer days to staff this holiday season. The retailer will close all of its store locations throughout the U.S. on Thursday, Nov. 25, for Thanksgiving.
This is the second consecutive year the retail giant will close for the holiday. However, Walmart is expanding much of its Black Friday delivery and online shopping options it has launched in recent years in efforts to compete with other large retailers, including Amazon.
In past years, it was customary for the Walmart Supercenters and Walmart Neighborhood Markets to shut down for a few hours in the evening, giving employees some time to enjoy Thanksgiving, before reopening shortly before midnight for Black Friday sales.
But 2020 brought many changes. Most Walmarts are no longer open 24/7, due to pandemic concerns and restrictions, and instead of closing at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Thursday, the stores will close at 11 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 24, and will not reopen until 5 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 26.
Santa is coming to town, but not on Thanksgiving
Santa Claus is returning to several major shopping malls in central Oklahoma this month, giving children five weeks to visit him and share their Christmas wish lists.
Brookfield Properties announced Santa returned to Quail Springs Mall in Oklahoma City on Nov. 18 and Sooner Mall in Norman on Nov. 19.
Simon Property Group announced it brought back its own Santa Photo Experience to the Oklahoma City's Penn Square Mall, as well.
The shopping malls are encouraging reservations. With the exception of Thanksgiving Day, Santa will be available daily at all three locations until Dec. 24.
Quail Springs Mall also will host other activities and events throughout the holiday season, including:
The Salvation Army Angel Tree, available daily from Tuesday to Dec. 7 near Great American Cookie Co. and Victoria's Secret. Customers can provide gifts for needy children whose information is included with tags hung on the tree.
Pet Nights with Santa from 4 p.m. to close every Monday, Nov. 29 to Dec. 20, in the same lower level center court in Quail Springs Mall as the everyday Santa photo opportunities. The mall suggests you reserve a time for this "paws-itively good time" with "your fur kids and grand pups."
Holiday Choirs, which will perform classic Christmas carols and hymns in the mall's food court by its AMC Theatre on select days in early December. The local groups will sing on Dec. 1 to Dec. 3, and Dec. 8 to Dec. 10.
Santa Cares Day, which will actually be held on two Sunday mornings, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12, on the lower floor. Between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m., children with special needs and their families are encouraged to visit for "sensory-friendly events" catering to them and their experiences, sponsored by Autism Speaks.
In addition, starting on Black Friday, the nonprofit organization Ally's House will provide holiday gift-wrapping services next to the Santa location. The organization will donate funds raised from the gift-wrapping drive to help local children with cancer.
