It may surprise you to learn that Sears Holdings, a company that has been shedding jobs as it slims down its retail presence, is giving hope to people who are unemployed, but it’s true. The company is hiring for 100 new positions at its call center in Alabama, explaining that the closure of physical stores means that some of those sales shift online.

In theory, anyway: all of my local Kmarts have closed, and even though I’ve been a loyal shopper there since I was an infant, there’s nothing I feel compelled to buy online at Kmart. Other people apparently disagree, and with Kmart moving some customers layaway contracts online when a store closes, that at least encourages those customers to think about shopping online.

The Sears store near the call center has also closed, which is probably why it surprised people to learn that Sears was hiring instead of laying people off. Yet the company held a job fair for about 100 call center positions, at least creating hope for people in one area with a higher than average unemployment rate out of the massive shift in their business.

Job Seekers head to Sears for Employment [WKRG]

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