Yes, it’s only the beginning of October, but it’s time for retailers to start preparing for the season of unbridled commerce. This year, retailers are finding that the labor market is more tight, and they need to plan ahead and maybe even offer extras to entice the best seasonal workers.

Yes, brick-and-mortar retailers are still relevant, and the Associated Press reports that they’ve already started hiring holiday help. They even want to make it easier to do so: Hhgregg, for example, makes it possible to apply for a job there using your smartphone. Target is having a seasonal job fair next Friday and Saturday in all of its stores. Macy’s held its fair last Friday, but is still hiring seasonal workers.

The shift of much of our holiday shopping to e-commerce means that more of those jobs are in call centers and in warehouses than in the past, but seasonal hiring is still important. One expert who runs e-commerce fulfillment facilities said that his clients want to be staffed up for the holidays by the end of this month, while usually they would keep hiring into November.

The unemployment rate is a bit lower than this time last year, and retailers ar looking to pay a bit more, and also offering more schedule flexibility and even higher discounts than in the past.

In a tight market, stores lure holiday workers with perks [AP]

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