RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Inside MitchellCasteel, a team is hard at work ahead of Thursday.
“We’re pretty much slammed with our Thanksgiving retail meals. It’s been especially busy this year, which is exciting. We offer a variety of packages both to corporate and residential clients, shipping, delivery and pickups. For the upcoming holiday season, we’ve rolled out a whole new plethora of packages, grazing tables and chef-served, seated-served dinners and the response has just been fantastic.,” said Chelsie Mueller, a Sales Associate.
To keep up with the demand, they’ve hired additional crews.
“We’ve hired maybe roughly 20 to 22 part-time staff,” Mueller said.
She explained the industry was hit hard during the pandemic, with many people opting for different career paths.
“We do find a lot of people who are looking for side gigs more than just full-time capacity roles, which works for us, being seasonally busy,” Mueller shared.
Mueller noted they run quarterly orientations, with work done over July and August to ensure staff are prepared to handle the holiday push.
“We’re still looking for our field and event chefs. We’re also looking for warehouse personnel. MitchellCasteel being in the business for 46 going on 47 years, we have collected a plethora of buffet equipment, display wear, coolers, ovens, cooking equipment, and things that require maintenance and good sanitation. We’re really looking for someone right now who can keep that organization, who can fill in and also work events,” Mueller explained.
Similarly, Elizabeth Mills, owner of Gingham & Posh, started her outreach for seasonal work in the summer.
“There’s a lot of stay-at-home moms who are like, ‘I can go do something for a few hours while the kids are in school’. I’ve got college students who are home who have maybe helped me in the past. I’ve got some high schoolers who come after school, which is fun, and then a few people who are between jobs and need some extra spending money for the holidays,” said Mills.
She started the business nearly 20 years ago, initially primarily focusing on gift baskets before adding a retail-focused storefront, featuring everything from holiday cards and baby apparel to food and drinks.
“About ten years ago, we doubled our space and that helped pick up the foot traffic,” Mills said.
According to the National Retail Federation, holiday sales are forecasted to grow between 3.7% and 4.2% over last year’s holiday season, expected to top $1 trillion in sales for the first time.
“We live and die for Christmas in the fourth quarter, because that is when all the orders come in, all the big corporate orders. And that’s what I really depend on each year. A lot of it is repeat customers, which I appreciate,” said Mills.
Mills said the familiarity with her seasonal staff has been helpful, allowing for a smooth transition during a busy period.
“It’s very valuable, especially if we get in a pinch and we need to call in extra help. It’s nice to have a few people who can delegate in addition to myself who say, ‘Oh, wait, no, this is the way that works,'” Mills explained.
In that group is Sarah Mester, a freshman at East Carolina University, who grew up shopping at the store with her family.
“I have vivid memories of walking around here when I was little and I was eye level height with all the kids’ stuff. Now that I’m pricing all the kids’ stuff, it’s kind of cute to see. There was a kid at one day that picked out the exact same thing I picked out when I was little,” said Mester.
She said many of her friends have tried to re-engage with former employers as they return home for the break.
“Since I’ve worked here, I’ve gotten a lot more confident in talking to our customers, on the phone, over e-mail, taking orders, doing customer service, and then of course, just the responsibility of having a job and keeping up with that,” Mester explained.
While Mills has prioritized adding to her team, some other retailers have held back. According to the National Retail Federation, retailers are expected to hire between 265,000 to 365,000 seasonal workers, possibly the lowest level in 15 years.
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