Party City is hiring 20,000 temporary workers for the holiday season — 80% of its 25,000 seasonal hires in 2019 — even though the retailer is drastically reducing the number of Halloween City pop-up stores it will open this year. While Party City operated approximately 275 temporary Halloween locations last year, it plans only about 25 this year. However, the scale of Party City’s seasonal hiring indicates the Halloween holiday will take center stage in its approximately 850 owned and franchised stores in North America, as well as the company’s e-Commerce site.
“Despite the pandemic, we know that consumers are looking to celebrate and capture the special holiday spirit, even if it looks a little different this year,” said Brad Weston, Party City CEO in a statement. “We are confident that through our contactless options and heightened safety standards, we can deliver the much-needed joy and excitement of Halloween to our customers, while also focusing on our priority of keeping our employees safe.”
In addition to online shopping, Party City offers contactless shopping experiences at its stores through curbside pickup, same-day delivery and contactless mobile payments. Home delivery is free for orders of $35 or more.
Halloween will be impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, but families and fans are eager to celebrate in safe ways. The National Retail Federation projects that Halloween spending will dip only 8% from 2019, topping $8 billion. While the association’s annual survey showed that fewer people will be celebrating, per-person spending will rise 7% to an average of $92.12.
Advertisement
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has issued detailed guidelines for how Americans can celebrate Halloween safely, breaking activities down into lower-risk, moderate-risk and higher-risk categories. While door-to-door trick-or-treating and trunk-or-treat activities fall into the higher-risk category, the CDC suggests home decorating, virtual costume contests and family pumpkin carving as safe alternatives.
