MINNEAPOLIS, MN - I can hardly believe that we are quickly approaching holiday season—My God, did those words really just come out of my mouth, err, roll off my fingertips? Well, yes, they did, and it seems that Target is looking to get a jump start on the season’s necessities by hiring 120,000 new employees to be Santa's helpers. This is a 20 percent increase over last year’s hiring commitment. Further, the retailer is going to offer team members more hours to tap into their interest and availability.

As interest continues to surge in online and delivery options, the company aims to expand its Order Pickup and Drive Up services by increasing the number of team members. Target will be nearly doubling the amount of employees for digital orders when compared with last year. In addition to these added roles, Target will fill over 7,500 positions in its fulfillment and distribution centers this holiday season.

“Coming off a strong second quarter, we’re anticipating a busy holiday season and want to make sure we have the right teams in place across all of our stores and distribution and fulfillment centers to deliver an exceptional experience for our guests. This always starts by having conversations with our current team members to see if they’re interested in working extra hours before making our seasonal hiring commitment,” Chief Stores Officer Janna Potts shared. “Adding 120,000 people to our current team will make the holidays easier and more convenient for our guests—whether they’re in our stores, picking up their Drive Up orders or having a package delivered to their home.”

The retailer is also investing $2 million to reward team members working this holiday season with its new Work.Win.Give appreciation program—which will select one hourly team member from each of Target’s locations, either stores or distribution centers, and offer them a $500 holiday gift card and the opportunity to choose a local community organization to donate $500.

“As the marketplace becomes more competitive, the significant investment we’re making in our team, including our increased minimum hourly wages, sets Target apart,” Chief Human Resources Officer Stephanie Lundquist said. “This year, we’re thrilled to offer our new seasonal team members competitive pay, beginning at $12 an hour, and introduce a fun new team member appreciation program that builds on our efforts to help team members take care of themselves, their families, and their communities during the holidays.”

Team members hired after September 16^th will start at $12 per hour, or minimum wage, but the retailer is working toward increasing its minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2020, according to a press release. Team members will also gain access to the following benefits:

• A 10 percent discount at Target stores and Target.com
• An additional 20 percent merchandise wellness discount on fruits and vegetables and all Simply Balanced and C9 Champion merchandise
• The opportunity to earn holiday pay on Thanksgiving and Christmas
• Flexible schedules that allow team members to work a variety of hours

There will be nationwide seasonal hiring events from Friday, October 12^th, to Sunday, October 14^th, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at stores throughout the country.

For more news on how retailers are keeping up with demand this year, stick with AndNowUKnow.

Target