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[Bradley Guire]

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[Baron Scicluna]

Re: Christmas jobs

I've been unemployed at the holidays, and while it's a sad thing, you also can make the best of it.

For your wife, if you can't afford to buy anything, take a few sheets of paper and make up some coupons for her to redeem on you. Coupons with practical things, such as you'll make dinner for her one night, and romantic things like a backrub to be named later.

As far as the online applications, while it's a pain in the ass sometimes, just do it. What's the worst that can happen? You don't get the job. You won't get it anyways if you don't apply.

Good luck.

 

[Bradley Guire]

Re: Christmas jobs

**** that noise about cooking her dinner one night. I do all the housework since I'm not working, so I cook and clean every night. But I get the weekends off.

 

[WriteThinking]

Re: Christmas jobs

I'd echo trying the FedEx/USP route. They hire lots of seasonal employees.

I'm actually in retail right now, with Walmart, and would encourage anyone not working and wanting to do so to go there, and apply for employment at as many nearby stores as possible. Its "seasonal" hiring is actually not usually just temporary. While the company does do most of its outside hiring during the period from October to December each year, in my experience, the jobs are permanent and not necessarily designated as temporary, so many people do stay past the new year, and beyond. Hours, particularly for part-timers, may get temporarily cut down a bit in January and February, but I've never seen people actually laid off there after the holidays.

Bradley, I know you've mentioned in other threads that you might potentially have difficulty with some of the more physical on-the-floor or back-room work in retail, or with being able to sit or stand for too long (because of a back problem, I think??), but I'd like to suggest that you also apply for personnel and office (cash office, invoice office) jobs, and for price-verifying positions in any Walmarts to which you apply. There are such jobs, they often are, or can later become, full-time, and they're pretty good, coveted positions at the store level.

And, as much as people sometimes hate it, Walmart is actually expanding, with new stores, in three different formats, opening all over the place lately. Opportunities abound, and will continue to do so, in the next couple of years.

I know not everyone does so, but I've had a good experience with Walmart, and, at this point, I would never tell someone who needs work not to try for something there.

After you've applied, my advice would be to call the stores in which you're interested and ask to speak to personnel. (It's usually just a one- or two-person office). Introduce yourself, and check up on your application's status, and that of any particular jobs, and ask if they could pull your application up and give it serious consideration. (If actually hiring at the time, they will often do that, particularly if you know any current employees and they could ask on your behalf that that be done).

At least then you'd know that you did what you could to try to make sure your stuff gets looked at, anyway.

 

[SoCalDude]

Re: Christmas jobs

My daughter, then 19, worked the holiday rush at an Old Navy last year. It was her second-ever job after the amusement park she worked at the previous summer shut down.
Her first day at Old Navy was the day before Thanksgiving, just restocking shelves and refolding clothes. Then she worked Black Friday, a shift that was supposed to be from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., but they couldn't leave until they were done. She left the store at 3:45 a.m. and was seriously unhappy.
She had another bad day like that, Christmas Eve, I think. She stuck with it through New Year's Day.
When she got the job, she said she was hopeful of having regular part-time work even after the holidays. When that time came, they told her they liked her and offered her one 4-hour shift a week. FOUR EFFING HOURS A WEEK.
$32 minus taxes a week wouldn't have paid for her gas. thanks for no thanks.

 

[Brooklyn Bridge]

Re: Christmas jobs

I know a guy who works a couple hours a day unloading a UPS cargo plane at the airport. The hours suck, work starts at 5:00, but they pay really well and you're partially vested in a pension after five years-they really have you by the balls. But he gets partial health coverage and a pension. Can't really go wrong.

Also might want to look into Starbucks. I know someone who has moved all over but kept his part--time barista job because of benefits.

 

[podunk press]

Re: Christmas jobs

I can honestly say if I wanted a second job right now, I could land one in roughly 10 minutes. Every retail place in our community is hiring.

 

[farmerjerome]

Re: Christmas jobs

Not to be a jerk, but the seasonal retail hiring season started about six weeks ago. You may have missed the boat. Your best bet is to have open availability and stress your people skills (customer service).
If you get a job and it works out, they may keep you on. You won't get a ton of hours during January or February, but at my shop if you work your ass they'll keep you on the schedule.
Best of luck.