How to draft a strong seasonal team

By Tommy Brown

How to plan ahead to draft a strong seasonal team.

With spring nearly here, it’s time for many destination retailers to start staffing for the influx of summer visitors. As with many challenges, the balance between adequate staffing and labor expenses can be a very intricate dance. Your focus should be on finding the right people for the hours you need to fill.

Tracking the hours

Before you begin hiring seasonal workers, determine how many labor hours you will need for peak season based on sales data from the last three years. For many attraction retailers, sales peak several hours before the attraction closes for the day. Make note of your store’s busy times and place them on a data sheet.

"Spending a little extra time in finding the right seasonal employees can pay off in the long run."

Next, look at when stock arrives at your location and add those times into your data sheet. It’s always a good idea to have set stock times rather than guessing to better plan your labor hours.

Finally, look at slow volume times for the store. Identify those times and note how many people you really need. Most of the time, a skeleton crew is all that is really needed to do the work for these hours.

Create a schedule

After you collect data on your store’s labor hours, consider what types of employees can work those hours. Keep in mind, not everyone wants to work eight hours a day. Some may only want to work a five-hour shift.

For example, student employees might be most available to help from 4-10 p.m. during peak hours since it’s after school. Conversely, retirees on your team may only want to work several hours a week and may prefer to help with a stocking shift from 8 a.m. to noon.

Your core workers should be the people who work at least eight hours a day. These will be the people working during your downtime periods. Looking at staff members’ scheduling needs rather than giving everyone an eight-hour shift can greatly impact your labor expenses and still produce a great experience for your guests.

Strategic with recruitment

When posting seasonal job openings, be sure to include the expected hours on the job listing. Consider posting about the open positions in schools, civic centers, retirement communities and community organization boards.

Be sure to get permission before posting to an in-person job board. If possible, you might want to try conducting job interviews at these locations to help your prospective seasonal workers.

Spending a little extra time in finding the right seasonal employees can pay off in the long run, leading to a happier team and saving your labor budget.

Tommy Brown has over 30 years’ experience in retail management. He’s held positions for Dillard’s, Sears, and Six Flags Inc. and is a past ZAG vice president. He currently guides retail at the Saint Louis Zoo. Reach him at tbrown@stlzoo.org.