US - Best Buy, the nation’s leading consumer electronics retailer, is employing a new approach to holiday hiring. The company has asked its 1000-plus US store managers to determine how many extra employees each store needs in preparation for the 2008 holiday season. Best Buy said it expected to see an increase around 15% over normal store staffing levels.
 
Best Buy has asked their local managers to calculate their own needs based on factors specific to their customers, employees and business. This is instead of the traditional retail model of the corporate office mandating hiring levels through blanket policies. 

Relying on managers 
Best Buy senior vice president of customer experience creation, Tim Sheehan said, “Because the needs of each Best Buy location can vary considerably, we rely on our managers who understand their businesses to decide what staff levels they need in order to deliver the best possible customer experiences.”

According to Sheehan, by empowering the local teams the retailer can make smarter and more customer-focused business decisions.
 
Best Buy stores have already begun hiring seasonal employees and will continue through early November. The company estimates that the actual number of additional seasonal staff this year could range from 16,000-20,000 employees.

In 2007, the company hired approximately 26,000 extra employees for the holiday season. According to Best Buy, many employees start their Best Buy careers as seasonal employees; as many as 40% of seasonal employees have been hired for part- and full-time positions in past years following their work during the holiday season.