8,000 Jobs to Fill for Office Depot Back-to-School Rush

By Charlene Arsenault (Patch Staff)

Office Depot/Max has announced plans to hire 8,000 seasonal and regular workers to prepare for what it hopes will be a busy back-to-school season. The number of hires represents a 33 percent increase over last year’s seasonal hires.

“We’re looking forward to bringing in more associates this year to ensure our customers get the best, personal service to fulfill their back-to-school shopping needs,” Office Depot’s Lynn Gross, vice president of human resources for retail, said in a statement.

There are Office Depots in Newburgh and Nanuet and an Office Max in Mohegan Lake.

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Seasonal associates are hired to provide additional support to parents, students and teachers shopping for school supplies, Gross said. The open positions include cashiers, sales staff and stock associates for the rush months of July, August and September.

In 2015, Office Depot added about 6,000 seasonal associates to its payroll to prepare for the back-to-school crunch. The decision to bring in 8,000 across the nation this year was prompted by a desire to improve customer service, Gross said.

“As we gear up for the busy back-to-school season, hiring additional associates in our retail stores is essential so that we provide our customers with a great shopping experience,” she said.

Ideal candidates, Gross said, will “enjoy working with people, possess a passion for selling, and thrive in a fast-paced sales environment.”

Gross did not make it clear how many of the 8,000 new hires will be seasonal workers only, versus regular associates. Seasonal employees do have the “potential to transition from a seasonal to regular position should openings become available.”

Employees of Office Depot receive a 10 percent discount on items and the company offers flexible scheduling.
To find out more about open positions, visit jobs.officedepot.com/school. Office Depot and OfficeMax retail outlets will also have in-store hiring events nationwide July 12-14 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Office Depot attempted a merger with Staples earlier this year, but it was sidelined over antitrust concerns. The Boca Raton-based company announced its merger agreement with Staples had been terminated in May.

Photo credit: Google Maps.