Walmart forecasts ‘busy’ holiday shopping season even as it hires fewer workers
Walmart is slowing the pace of its seasonal hiring this year, but it is still expecting a “busy” holiday season.
“Overall, our staffing is stronger heading into this holiday season than it was last year,” a spokesperson said in an email. “Like in previous years, we’ll give our current associates the first opportunity to work additional hours if they want to earn extra money for the holidays. From there, we’ll strategically hire seasonal associates to help with the busy holiday season.”
For one, it isn’t clear how many employees Walmart is entering the holidays with at a base level, Baker said. Labor shortages could have been a bigger problem for the company last year than this, allowing it to be less aggressive in staffing up as the year draws to a close, he added.
While overall retail sales may slow in 2022 compared to 2021, Baker continues to expect that the holiday season will be strong by historical standards. That said, retailers are facing a host of new challenges this holiday season, including rising inflation, a contracting economy, and lagging consumer sentiment. To top it off, many stores are struggling with excess inventory, which has forced them to offer discounts and take other steps to boost sales, threatening to cut into margins.
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