Target is sticking to its script and rolling out star-studded announcements to rev up thousands of employees who are visiting the Twin Cities this week from stores and distribution centers across the nation.
On the heels of a motivational speech by tennis great Serena Williams and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, the retailer said Thursday it will be the exclusive seller of a new line of cookware from supermodel Chrissy Teigen.
Separately, the company announced plans to hire about 120,000 seasonal workers for the upcoming holiday season — 20 percent more than last year.
The Minneapolis-based retailer is betting on a continued surge in online sales and will disperse its seasonal hiring accordingly. It plans to double the number of workers dedicated to handling in-store pickup and curbside service and boost its workforce at distribution warehouses by about two-thirds from last year.
With low unemployment nationwide, retailers are competing for workers willing to sign on for a few months to help shoppers find items in stores and handle online orders.
Target said it would offer existing workers additional hours and would pay temporary hires $12 an hour along with store discounts, up from $11 an hour last year.
It also will spend $2 million on rewards for those who work during the holiday period.
Macy's Inc. said earlier this week it would hire about 80,000 holiday workers for its Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores. Kohl's and J.C. Penney began recruiting people for temporary jobs at the beginning of the summer.
