High school students have found that seasonal jobs being offered around Bloomington-Normal aren’t worth it because employers seem to care less about their employees, especially because they’re high school age. The pay, the hours, and the way managers are treating the sales associates are all reasons why high schoolers would rather not have a job than work for places like Kohl’s, T.J. Maxx, and Target.

Junior Andy Ficek had a bad experience working at the retail store Kohl’s as a sales associate. He explains that the managers weren’t nice, and that they didn’t care whether or not he was working there.                                         

“Obviously work is work, and you’re not supposed to like it, but it’s hard to find the motivation to go into work when the atmosphere is constantly negative,” says Ficek. He has since quit and found a new job that is stable. 

Gracie Dehart, also a junior at West, has a stable job at Aeropostale in the mall. She describes that recently her managers have been hiring new employees without informing them that they’re being hired for seasonal work only. Also, because of all the new associates, she’s barely getting scheduled. Seasonal jobs are inconvenient for new and old employees.  

According the The Muse, a job search website, other disadvantages to a seasonal job include low wages with no benefits, no extensive training, and it’s also not a stable job. In 2019, retail laid off 683,000 seasonal workers, which made up 8.2 percent of base employment, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Seasonal employees are typically hired when companies need extra help during specific seasons, generally during holidays or the summer. They’re usually hired on a part time basis and are paid minimum wage.