Local retail stores are hiring in lieu of the upcoming holiday shopping season.

With an expected increase in shopping at the Huntington Mall located in Barboursville, West Virginia, stores are looking for extra help during the next two to three months.

Some of these stores are looking to the Marshall University community to fill these seasonal positions.

“We are definitely interested in hiring on Marshall students,” Kacy Elder, assistant store manager of Forever 21, said. “That’s like our target audience.”

Elder said Forever 21 hopes to hire at least 30 new associates. 

Stores are hiring so the influx of shoppers can be handled smoothly, said Blain Harber, assistant manager of Rue 21.

Harber said the store is hoping to hire 20 more employees for the holiday season.

“It is hard to keep track of everything during the busy times,” he said.

Although stores are hiring for the holiday season, some plan to keep newly hired employees for longer.

“We want to grow them to be at least part time employees and not just seasonal,” Elder said. 

Harber said he hopes his team develops into friends who will work together and enjoy their work environment. 

“If you work hard enough you’re not just going to be seasonal,” he said.

The job duties of newly hired employees vary based on the store and its needs.

“At American Eagle we have many different jobs we hire for, all sorts of positions,” Kelly Knuckles, assistant selling manager of American Eagle, said.

Knuckles said American Eagle is planning to have a fully stocked team of more than 60 employees for the holiday shopping season. 

At Forever 21 the job duties will include “shipment, working fitting rooms, stocking the floors and cash registers,” Elder said. 

As a sales associate at Rue 21 responsibilities include “keeping up with the floor, customer service and suggestive selling,” Harber said.

Regardless of varying job duties, store managers said they are grateful for the extra help during their busy times.

“I really like the help,” Elder said.

Meg Keller can be contacted at [email protected]