It might be the holiday of frights and scares, but I’ve got news that won’t give you nightmares! If you’re looking for a job for the season, the retail environment is looking good for you! The catch? You might not have a job come February.
Seasonal employment has been around forever, but a new trend in retail has been taking the country — and its unemployment — by storm: the pop-up store. But how does it stack up to any other job and is it just a fad that will die out once the economy recovers?
The most prominent “pop-up shop” in recent years has been ‘Spirit Halloween,’ ‘Halloween Express’ or any variation of the Halloween costume shop. As all retailers know, the only time of year these products are popular is the month or so leading up to Halloween. Instead of having a brick and mortar location all year, these business owners are buying out cheap or discounted strip mall locations for 2-3 months and then they leave as soon as sales dry up.
This is a great concept because it takes advantage of supply and demand; i.e., the landlords of these huge shopping malls are losing money when their buildings stay vacant. If you were a strip mall owner (my condolences), even if it’s only for a few months, having a Spirit Halloween pay your rent is better than no rent at all.
Plus it’s good for people looking for part-time work. The retail research firm of Challenger, Gray and Christmas has set higher forecasts this year. Their research sees national seasonal employment gains in retail alone jumping over 20,000 this holiday season. UPS also recently stated it will be bringing on 95,000 workers nationwide for the seasonal rush.
There are real gains being seen across the nation for regular employment. This is great for students because chances are you’re still getting by on an hourly, part-time unskilled position until you graduate. Even better, we have a good month off after finals and that time can be spent working and saving money!
However, the landscape of pop-up shops and seasonal work is changing with healthy growth of our economy. While pop-up shops on Edgewood are only recently gaining enough foot traffic to see sales, stores around the country are finding that higher rental rates for prime spots is making pop-up shops a poor method for making money. For instance, the retail database RetailWire.com discusses pop-up shops in detail but recommends retailers only use the concept to try out new ideas or create buzz for a new product line.
This is because a few years ago many office spaces were vacant, desperate for anyone to be a tenant for any span of time. With a healthy economy, the landlords can now be picky when it comes to choosing rent price and tenants.
So instead, businesses are adapting. For example, the New-York men’s clothing store Rothmans is trying out a ‘permanant pop-up’ inside their stores. They rotate the section out every three months and it allows them to experiment with new products while attracting new customers.
So whether you just need a few extra bucks before the holidays or you are looking into serious seasonal employment, your options are better than ever this year. If you’re lucky and do great, you might even find yourself with a job for the whole year. Think of it as a paid internship except you’re selling pirate costumes and zombie paint instead of stocks and bonds.
