SAN ANTONIO – Call it the holiday hustle.
Retailers are making a push to hire seasonal help at a time when unemployment is low and consumer confidence is high.
Target launched a three-day hiring event Friday as it seeks to find 120,000 holiday helpers, a 20 percent increase over last year.
Gwen Casteneda walked in and was hired on the spot.
"I'm doing seasonal work for ... apparel," she said. "I'm pretty excited to start."
The retail industry is anticipating what it calls a "shoptastic" season, which means stores will need extra elves to work the warehouses, stock shelves and serve customers.
Kohl's announced it plans to hire about 90,000 seasonal employees, slightly more than last year. Kohl's plans to hold it's hiring fair Oct. 20.
Macy's is looking to find about 80,000 seasonal workers. It's big hire date is set for Thursday.
Best Buy has not announced how many seasonal workers it plans to hire, but has scheduled a hiring push for Wednesday.
It's not just the big players needing extra hands.
"We're going to hire a little extra help," said Mark Lopez, whose family owns Toy Zone. With the demise of ToysRUs, Lopez said the store is already seeing new customers.
And with online shopping expected to be healthy, delivery services are hiring.
UPS said it plans to bring on 100,000 seasonal workers, and FedEx announced 55,000 holiday hires, which is an increase of 5,000 over last year for each company.