Mankato Halloween company offers to pay for hotel stay, in desperate need of staff
HalloweenCostumes.com is trying to hire thousands of seasonal workers in Mankato, Minn. this month and is even offering to pay for hotel stays.
MANKATO, Minn. (FOX 9) - Despite so many Minnesotans being out of work from the pandemic, a Mankato Halloween costume business is having a hard time finding people to fill positions this fall.
HalloweenCostumes.com, based in Mankato, ships out 50-60,000 packages every day at its peak. In all of October, CEO Tom Fallenstein says they will fulfill more than a million orders.
This surge means the company needs more seasonal workers to help them through the rush.
“This week, in shipping department, we’ll have around 400 people,” Fallenstein said. “We’re looking for about 2,000 for the whole October.”
Finding those people has been surprisingly challenging this year, however. He said fewer students on campus at Minnesota State-Mankato is one reason, but he also suspects some people are staying home and collecting unemployment because the hiring process is complicated by the virus.
To find more seasonal staff, the company is offering extra incentives to fill positions.
“Starting this week, we’re looking at bringing people who are outside of Mankato and paying for their hotel stay and having them come for two and a half weeks,” Fallenstein said. “They can earn up to 2,400 dollars in two and a half weeks and we need the help.”
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) says around 230,000 Minnesotans are on unemployment right now. They’re encouraging these Minnesotans to take advantage of job opportunities like this.
“If you’re waiting to kind of see what will pan out with the pandemic, you might want to consider a shift in looking for a new career, even if it’s just temporary,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove.
Grove said, despite the challenges of this year, he expects more seasonal jobs to open up as we near the holiday season.
“We’ve always been kind of a hub here for retail you think about Best Buy, you think about Target,” Grove said. “We’re optimistic that retail will have a better season this fall and some of those jobs will continue to come back.”
The apply for the job, visit fun.com/apply or call 507-386-8330.