Christmas in retail: Success Is Determined by People, Not Discounts

For the world of retail, the autumn and Christmas season is not just the highlight of the year. It’s an annual stress test that examines the resilience of the entire ecosystem – from logistics and marketing to the shop floor.

During this period, 30 to 40% of annual sales are made. But while managers focus on perfect stock availability, pricing strategies, and creative campaigns, the real results are decided on the shop floor.

“The increase in footfall usually starts as early as September, especially during the Marianne Days,” notes Martina Pavelková, HR Consultant at SYNERGIE, with ten years of hands-on retail experience.

The first wave, which gradually rolls through Black Friday to the final Christmas rush, creates unprecedented pressure on core employees and raises the risk of burnout even before the main holiday peak.

Customer behavior is changing

“What used to be predictable no longer is,” says Christophe Beaujard, retail recruitment expert with over a decade of experience in the sector.

The roots of this unpredictability lie with the customer. On one hand, there is the public desire “to be seen as trendy,” fueled by social media. On the other hand, there’s a pragmatic reality: “I need it now and for the lowest price.”

This duality makes consumer behavior extremely volatile.

“How can you, based on such complexity, forecast stock levels, required staff skills, and pricing strategies?” asks Chris.

Retailers are living in an illusion of control. They try to steer the ship in a storm while losing influence over key points of the customer journey. A good example is the dependence on third-party delivery services, where a single delay can ruin an otherwise perfect shopping experience.

But what you can control is your staffing.

Handle with care the approach “We need people. Any people.”

Companies face an even bigger challenge – a critical labor shortage. The situation is so severe, as Chris puts it, that “the goal for retailers is no longer to have the right people, but simply to have people.”

The entire market needs reinforcements at the same time, creating huge competition for a limited pool of candidates. Yet, the attractiveness of retail careers continues to decline.

“Retail is actually a great entry point into the job market, but no one really talks about it,” adds Martina.

A new generation – Generation Z – is entering the scene. “This generation thinks differently about work. They want to work efficiently, do meaningful things, and still maintain work-life balance,” explains Martina.

That stands in direct contrast to the traditional retail reality of irregular hours and weekend shifts.

The pressure to fill positions quickly has turned retail into a wage-driven battleground. But this triggers a downward spiral of lower engagement, extremely high turnover of part-timers, and inevitably, a poorer customer experience.

TIP: How we found 11 sales associates for Levi’s in just 14 days.

In stores, we don’t just buy products anymore – we buy emotions

At a time when products, prices, and marketing strategies are easily compared and copied, it’s human contact that makes the real difference. And that’s where the biggest opportunity lies.

“In stores, we often no longer buy just goods, but above all the emotions we felt while shopping,” says Martina.

Adéla Prášilová, Team Leader at SYNERGIE CZ, agrees:

“A smiling, helpful salesperson can turn a stressful shopping trip into an experience a customer will remember – and most likely come back.”

Technologies such as self-checkout or sales kiosks are great assistants, but they have their limits. “Nothing replaces a human approach,”she adds.

The Christmas season creates a dangerous paradox. Just when customers are most stressed and least patient, stores are the most understaffed and full of inexperienced temporary workers who must be trained in a matter of days. The probability of negative interactions grows exponentially.

Investing in high-quality, motivated, and carefully selected seasonal staff is, in a way, an investment in brand building and customer loyalty.

How to escape the trap?

The solution lies in a partner who not only provides people but understands the context. And that’s where SYNERGIE excels.

“I worked in retail for almost 10 years, mostly on the shop floor, climbing from Sales Assistant to Department Manager,” says Martina. “I know the retail reality firsthand and understand the situations that can arise in-store.”

Because our team includes people with similar backgrounds, we understand terms like conversion, productivity, UPT, or AWT. We know the unique DNA of brands and that not every candidate fits everywhere – we simply look for the right fit.

We translate the needs of retail managers into clear and attractive offers for candidates.
We filter out a huge number of unsuitable applicants and present clients only those with a real chance to succeed.

The concrete benefits are immediately visible:

Flexibility: We help increase capacity only for the season, with no long-term commitments.
Speed: Thanks to our candidate database, we can fill positions within days. In crisis situations, such as sudden absences, we can find replacements within hours.
Time and energy savings: We take on the full load – recruitment, administration, legislation, payroll, and operations such as shift planning. The client can fully focus on sales and customers.
Quality and reliability: “We don’t look for just hands for retailers, but for people you can truly rely on – those who bring added value,”
emphasizes Martina.

From practice: 150 reliable staff secured in 3 days

The true value of partnership shows when things don’t go as planned. For a fashion retail client, we provided 150 reliable workers for their store and kiosk network within three weeks. As a result, the client handled a record season not only without a drop in service quality but with a 25% increase in sales compared to plan.

“Sometimes we can arrange replacements within just a few hours,”
confirms Adéla, recalling last year’s season.

“For a store manager, one missing person on a Saturday afternoon before Christmas is a disaster – it means longer queues, unhappy customers, and lost revenue. The ability to solve this within hours is worth its weight in gold,”
she adds.

Prepare for the future, not just the next Christmas

The Christmas season reveals the weaknesses of every retail organization. Finding quality employees will become increasingly difficult. Those who win will be the ones who can offer not just a salary, but also fairness and a positive atmosphere.

Adapting to the expectations of Generation Z will be key to retaining talent. And as e-commerce continues to grow, so will the demand for reliable people in logistics and fulfillment.

How to handle the autumn and Christmas rush without stress? Turn to professionals who know retail from the inside.