On Saturday morning, general manager Rhoda Wolff is showing East Lansing resident Angie Keyes around Schuler Books & Music.
As they weave through the store, locating different sections for history, travel and art books, they comment on different books they've read and Keyes asks where certain titles can be found.
At the cash register, she rings up a short transaction and returns to the floor, smiling.
"That was my first customer," she said. "I'm blushing and everything."
That Saturday was Keyes' first day of work following three days of training that began Nov. 15. She is a new employee, hired to provide the Eastwood Towne Center store in Lansing Township extra assistance during the busy holiday season.
Officials say increases in end-of-year employment boost the economy, and allow for retailers to compensate for a surge in customer traffic. In addition, employees gain extra holiday spending money.
A retiree, Keyes said she looked for seasonal work to earn extra money for Christmas, and added that she was offered the job at Schuler's specifically for the season.
"At Christmas time, it's very easy to find employment, especially in retail," she said.
Keyes is not alone.
Having basic customer service skills can make it easier to find seasonal work in the retail sector, said Kate Tykocki, a spokeswoman for Capital Area Michigan Works.
People who usually look for work during the season include retirees and those looking for added income during the holidays to offset the costs of travel and purchases, Tykocki said.
"This is a good way of earning some money without the obligation of going back to work or keeping a second job," she said.
Working during the holiday season, however, usually does not lead to lasting positions, although it can happen, she said.
"For people who are looking for full-time employment, this is not the solution," Tykocki said. "Few of these positions are actually still existing when the holiday season ends.
"They're only there for the holiday shopping rush, and after that, these positions are no longer needed."
Criminal justice sophomore Christen Burtzloff said she applied to two retailers for employment during Christmas break, but hasn't heard anything definite.
"I need money to pay for books next semester," Burtzloff said, adding that she might end up baby-sitting. "That's my inspiration."
About 14,000 jobs are added on average during November, making it the peak month of the season in regards to hiring, as opposed to average increases of 3,600 jobs in October and 11,500 in December, said Ron McGraw, an economic manager with the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth.
"The stores start gearing up for the holiday season in October, and I think they are fully staffed in November and through December, and then they adjust it based on sales," McGraw said, adding that he anticipates this year to be typical of years past.
An increase in employment in the fourth quarter is beneficial to Michigan's economy, he said, because "it brings more tax money to the state (and) it brings more people to the state."
If holiday spending increases, more employees will be sought, he said.
"It could have a definite impact," McGraw said. "If they have, all of a sudden, a bunch of money coming into the retail trade, they're going to have to hire more."
Wolff, from Schuler's, said with more customers and more merchandise to be stocked, extra help is needed.
"It is the busiest time," she said. "There's no doubt."
A lot of the store's business is done during the last two months, and this year four employees were hired out of hundreds of applicants, Wolff said.
"People who have never even heard of us come into our store at Christmas," she said. "It's our chance to make an impression that can make an effect on return business."
Lindsay VanHulle can be reached at vanhull3@msu.edu.
