Minnesota retailers ask for 'a little patience' from shoppers amid worker shortages this holiday

Sandy Kalczynski slowly penned a name on a holiday ornament before she rushed back out on the sales floor of her store.

For Kalczynski, co-owner of Callisters Christmas at the Mall of America, the next few months are the busiest for her business. The problem is she doesn't know if she will have enough workers to fully staff her store.

"It's definitely a challenge more than I've ever seen," Kalczynski said. "We've just not had the applications."

According to a recent survey by the Minnesota Retailers Association, 8 out of 10 retailers say it is more difficult to find workers today than a year ago. Nearly two-thirds of them are using different incentives to attract workers.

Staffing will be a major hurdle for the large corporations that rely on thousands of seasonal employees, such as Amazon, Walmart and Minneapolis-based Target.

Worker shortages have plagued retailers throughout the pandemic as more employees opted out of front-line work out of concerns about the coronavirus. But as health fears have subsided this year, Bruce Nustad, president of the Minnesota Retailers Association, said he was surprised about just how many local retailers said the worker crunch had gotten worse.

Shoppers should expect that, with less workers, it can take retailers a little longer to stock shelves. There will be less time local business owners can devote to logistical issues, meaning there could still be delays finding some products, Nustad said.

"If you just don't have the number of people that you usually do, you tend to allocate them to the front and customer service," Nustad said.

In order to make do, many retail owners are working longer hours themselves, he said.

"If you have a store, you are spending more time at the register," Nustad said.

Helpful suggestions for holiday shoppers: Shop early and be more intentional about what you are buying.

Nustad added, "Have a little patience."

Mitch Reaume, co-owner of the Minnesota Strong gift shop in Ridgedale Center, said he would usually have all his holiday workers trained by now, but he is behind because it has been hard to find them. He handles much of the day-to-day operations at the shop, which sells locally made items, from painted canoe paddles to handmade wooden art.

"Especially for holidays, we hope to have a larger pool to work from just because it's so busy, but right now you take what you can get," Reaume said. "As business owners, when there's shortages it ends up kind of just falling on our own plates."

For makers like Reaume, who also does custom screenprinting on drinkware and apparel for his Fight For Something business, wait times for handmade items are also being extended.

Many makers also have to pick and choose what they can staff and what they will have to put on pause this year, Reaume said. Some owners he knows will just sell their items at holiday pop-up markets this season. Others will forgo events and just concentrate their staff at a retail store instead of spreading themselves thin to do both.

Shoppers might have to plan ahead to make sure they head to the right locations to find their favorite local makers.

It might also take you longer to get through a checkout lane at the grocery store, said Jamie Pfuhl, president of the Minnesota Grocers Association. Representatives from her association regularly do store visits.

"We haven't come across any store that isn't struggling with staffing," Pfuhl said.

She encouraged grocery shoppers to stay patient as they try to finish their purchases, use a list to make their trips more efficient and be flexible with brands in case some of their usual products are out of stock.

Lunds & Byerlys' job vacancy rate is about double what it typically is at this time of year, said Casey Enevoldsen, the company's vice president of employee experience.

Because it's especially hard to find culinary experts like pastry chefs and butchers, Enevoldsen advised customers to place special and custom orders as early as possible.

Shoppers should also pay attention to grocery store hours. Since the start of the pandemic, Lunds & Byerlys has shortened its hours from being open to midnight to 10 p.m., which is in part due to staffing.

Even some gas stations and convenience stores, which a lot of times are expected to be open 24 hours, are having to change their hours.

"We are seeing [some] stores actually closed Sundays. ... They can't find labor to staff their registers," said Lance Klatt, executive director of the Minnesota Service Station and Convenience Store Association.

Many retail outlets are offering incentives to try to entice workers, including bonuses and added work flexibility. Most of the jobs recently listed at Mall of America's Nickelodeon Universe — from cashier, seasonal costume performer, coffee barista or ride operator — have signing bonuses of at least $300.

Camille Williams, owner of the Mainstream Boutique in Stillwater, said she has had to "think outside the box" to compete for staff. She raised pay by 20% in 2020 and has sweetened her benefits.

"Finding staff has definitely been a challenge. ... We are more flexible with time off and offer higher employee discounts on our products," Williams said. "We also offer bonuses based on sales. In a nutshell, we are constantly looking at ways to offer incentives to our staff so they feel valued."

Kalczynski, of Callisters, said she is finding that fewer people want to work full time. It is taking her three to four part timers to fill the shifts that used to be covered by one full-time staffer.

People are often particular with the ornaments they want, which means she needs to keep the displays stocked and have people available to answer questions. Callisters also customizes ornaments on site, but it can be hard to find people that have the steady penmanship needed to pull it off.

"Most customers are a lot more understanding," Kalczynski said. "Everybody knows that we are doing the best we can."