Macy’s, Inc. said it plans to hire seasonal associates for approximately 83,000 positions at its Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores, call centers, distribution centers and online fulfillment centers nationwide for the 2016 Christmas and holiday season. The company’s 2016 seasonal hiring plan is essentially flat to last year.

The company also announced its first national holiday hiring day, to take place on Friday, Sept. 30, an expansion of successful events which took place in certain locations last year. Job candidates can visit all Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s Backstage store locations between 2 – 8 p.m. (in local time zones) during the event. Candidates should apply in advance at macysJOBS.com or bloomingdalesJOBS.com to discover open positions and opportunities for on-site interviews.

“However our customers connect with us – in stores, online and mobile, or over the phone – Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s shoppers have come to appreciate the higher level of our staffing and service throughout the Christmas and holiday season, and our associates love the merchandise discount and income-earning opportunities at this special time of the year,” said Terry J. Lundgren, Macy’s, Inc. chairman and chief executive officer. “We first offer our current associates the opportunity to work extra hours over the holidays, and then supplement our ongoing workforce with seasonal hires. This significant increase in staffing allows us to provide additional service to customers, however they engage with us.”

Seasonal associates at Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s serve customers on the selling floor, work in store operations positions, interact with customers via call centers, and staff the distribution and fulfillment centers that coordinate shipments to stores and directly to customers who buy online or via mobile. Macy’s, Inc. is one of the largest online retailers in America.

Wherever seasonal associates join the company, all will qualify for a 20 percent merchandise discount on most of their purchases – especially appreciated during the holiday gift-giving time.

Macy’s, Inc.’s 2016 seasonal hiring plan includes the following:

• Approximately 15,000 of the 83,000 total seasonal positions will be based in direct-to-consumer fulfillment facilities that support sales generated by the company’s omnichannel business strategy. This is an increase of 3,000 positions compared to 2015. These positions are located in megacenters in Goodyear, AZ; Cheshire, CT; Tulsa, OK; Portland, TN; and Martinsburg, WV, as well as in product-specific fulfillment centers in Sacramento, CA; Stone Mountain, GA; Secaucus, NJ; and Joppa, MD.

• About 1,000 associates will be hired to interact with customers via telephone, e-mail and online chat at customer service centers in Mason, Ohio, Clearwater, FL, and Tempe, AZ.

• More than 1,000 people will be hired across the country to support the 90^th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Santalands and other iconic holiday events.

“These seasonal positions fill an important niche in the American employment spectrum. Especially at the holidays, we employ students working during break to help pay tuition, retirees seeking to remain active, and individuals from many walks of life wanting to supplement their income and benefit from receiving a merchandise discount on their purchases. We are proud to offer them this opportunity to work in a fun, fast-paced and collegial environment,” Lundgren said.

Applications for seasonal positions at Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s are being accepted at macysJOBS.com and bloomingdalesJOBS.com, the company’s easy-to-navigate hiring sites. Candidates who submit applications online will receive a response via e-mail.

Most seasonal positions are part-time, often with flexibility to fit the availability of the individuals hired. Many positions require the applicant to work evenings and weekends and some require overnight. In some cases, temporary seasonal associates are offered open year-round positions based on their skills and performance over the holiday season.

“We have many examples of associates who started with us in temporary seasonal positions and stayed to enjoy a long and fulfilling career with our company. Seasonal employment is often an opportunity to get to know potential future employees and to identify talent that we can recruit as needs arise,” added Lundgren. “The holidays are a magical time of year, and helping customers select gifts from Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s is a special experience that generations of associates have enjoyed and found rewarding.”