February was uncharacteristically warm this year and retailers responded as a result, launching early spring sales and boosting staff numbers to meet the demands of consumers who were trading in their heavy winter clothes for something a bit lighter and more colorful.

This means many retailers already have the staff required for the spring rush, which drove down hiring in April, according to a recent report from Macroeconomic Advisers. Over the course of the month, 31,862 retail hires were made, compared to the 33,209 in March. Both months have been weak in terms of hiring, but Macroeconomic Advisers believes this is solely because of the influx of new hires in February.

"The Kronos Retail Labor Index edged down two-tenths to a still solid 3.8 percent in April, reflecting a moderate decline in hires and a small gain in applications," explained Chris Varvares, senior managing director and co-founder of Macroeconomic Advisers. "This was the second consecutive decline in hires, following a strong, nearly 11 percent gain in February."

Having an appropriately sized staff can make a huge difference in store operations and greatly improves the customer experience. Retailers are better off staffing up early so employees have time to learn policies before busy seasons.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, May 9th, 2012 at 10:16 am .