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November 3, 2008
Some Wausau-area retailers are tightening their belts as they prepare to staff for the holiday season, though they are not predicting a major slump in sales.
Instead of hiring seasonal help to staff their stores, many owners are allowing current workers overtime, relying on more help from their families or hiring former part-time employees for sporadic shifts.
"We just work more. We work more hours. We work the staff to death in the holiday season," said Dave Jagler, owner of Town Line Market, 916 Townline Road, Wausau.
Jagler said the economic downturn hasn't affected his business. Rather, he said, October was one of his best months on record.
At Caps, Hats and More in the Wausau Center mall, business is slower than normal but far from a crisis, said manager Scott Plamann.
In typical years, Caps, Hats and More employs college students back in town for the holidays.
Not this year.
"I think the way it is with sales -- I have noticed a drop in sales -- we don't have the budget to pay the extra help," Plamann said.
Business is good and owners are optimistic about the holiday season at The Rose Garden, 131 W. Thomas St., Wausau.
Co-owner Corrie Merklein said seasonal catering help is hard to find. By the time the company trains someone, the holiday season is finished and the need for additional help vanishes. Instead, Merklein uses former Rose Garden employees to fill in when needed.
"I think anybody in (the catering) business is looking to stay the same as last year (financially), but we're doing anything we can to watch our expenses. We're not going to do a lot of trial and error."
Joe Ciardo, owner of Ciardo's of Wausau, is lucky to have three supportive daughters. The custom floral and furniture store he owns with his wife grows busy around the holidays with people looking for Christmas decorations.
He used to hire seasonal workers for his store, located at 9707 Highway U, but he stopped about seven years ago to cut costs.
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