Toys R Us to hire 45,000 temp holiday staffers - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Now is the time to get a jump on holiday hiring.

Toys R Us is hiring 45,000 seasonal workers this holiday season. It needs the workers to staff pop up stores and help fulfill its expanded customer services, like shipping online purchases. And the hiring begins this week.

The total is a nearly 13 percent jump from the 40,000 seasonal workers the Wayne, N.J.-based company hired last year.

Toys R Us, like many retailers, hires thousands of temporary workers during the important holiday season, which can account for up to 40 percent of a retailer's annual revenue.

Toys R Us said part of the increase is to help fulfill customer orders made with its new online shipping options, such as ordering online and picking up items in store; as well as its free layaway program and its new toy reservation system. Toys R Us has been beefing up these options to help draw customers into stores, as it faces increasing competition from online retailers and discount stores.

Workers will also staff seasonal pop up stores. Toys R Us plans to open 150 to 200 temporary stores, similar to the number it opened last year.

Some positions could become permanent. Last year, about 15 percent of holiday workers stayed on in full-time positions.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)