Human resources director Rose Ann Lightle says schedules are made in advance, as early as August. The advantage is that the store has a pool of already-trained stock handlers, sales associates and housekeeping personnel on hand when they need to gear up. Smaller retail establishments tend to double up efforts of employees already on board. One example is Rainy Day Books in Fairway, which increases employees' hours. Some places increase the work load rather than hire temps because they have tasks that are too demanding or specialized, such as Andre's Confiserie Suisse on Main Street.
Managers say there is too much to know about their specialized confections.
Restaurants and caterers that handle large events normally hire more staff for the season. You have to, said Michael Lucas, owner of Cadillac Catering. Creative Catering Concepts, an event- planning business, hires extra help for the holidays, mostly in the food handling arena. Vita Brooks, one of the owners in this family-run business, says it's nice to have experienced food servers. To that end, they have developed a cadre of young people who work for them in high school and again when they return home from college for the holidays.