Every year, the retail industry braces itself for the chaos, excitement, and long hours of the holiday shopping season. Between October and December, foot traffic spikes, shelves empty faster, and the demand for excellent customer service reaches an all-time high. But for many retailers, one critical challenge can determine whether the season is a success or a strain: understaffing.
That’s where InDemand Services comes in. We provide flexible, scalable staffing solutions that help retailers, warehouse operators, and facility managers handle peak workloads with confidence.
From store resets and merchandising to warehouse staffing and custodial support, our teams integrate seamlessly into your operation, helping you stay organized, fully stocked, and on schedule when it matters most.
With InDemand, your staff gets relief, your customers get better service, and your brand maintains the polished, professional presence it’s known for.
Understaffing doesn’t just slow operations; it directly affects sales and customer experience. According to the National Retail Federation, holiday sales in November and December have averaged about 19% of total U.S. retail sales over the last five years.
At the same time, a survey found that 82% of retail workers regularly feel overwhelmed at work due to inadequate staffing levels. Additionally, 51% say their store is short-staffed during busy periods most of the time.
When stores operate with fewer workers than needed, tasks like restocking and inventory control fall behind. This results in disorganization and slower service. Studies show that poor alignment of staffing with customer demand leads to decreased store performance.
In short, when your store is under-resourced during the busiest season of the year, you risk losing sales, frustrated customers, and overburdened staff.
The holiday season is supposed to be joyful, but for many retail employees, it’s one of the most stressful times of the year. A survey of hourly retail workers revealed that 55% reported they have suffered burnout on the job in the past year, with worker shortages and unrealistic expectations among the top stressors.
A Retail Touchpoints industry report found that over 80% of retail workers say stress and burnout have increased, and many are actively considering quitting because of poor labor planning and staffing gaps.
That stress doesn’t just hurt morale; it hurts your business. When team members burn out, it impacts the entire store: slower check-outs, unstocked shelves, and reduced service quality. Understaffing becomes a cycle that’s hard to break without outside help.
InDemand Services acts as a true extension of your team, providing the extra hands and expertise needed to keep operations running smoothly when demand surges. Our scalable, flexible workforce solutions help retailers tackle seasonal peaks, store remodels and resets, and perform daily in-store tasks without overloading existing employees.
By bringing in the right talent at the right time, your in-store team can stay focused on what matters most: serving customers, driving sales, and maintaining brand standards.
Our services include:
During Q4, many stores refresh layouts, roll out new products, or prepare promotional displays. These changes often require fixture installations, shelving resets and layout adjustments, tasks that can’t always be completed by a core team already under pressure. InDemand’s team support allows your regular staff to remain focused on customer-facing tasks while the behind-the-scenes tasks get handled by our seasonal team. This ensures store environments stay organized, visually appealing, and operationally efficient.
Unstocked shelves can cost sales fast. A survey found that 77% of retail workers say their store regularly loses sales due to poor scheduling or staffing decisions. InDemand’s merchandising and inventory support services ensure that products are replenished promptly, displays are maintained, and seasonal items are presented on time. This keeps your shelves full, your displays sharp, and customers satisfied, thus reducing the pressure that understaffed teams experience during holiday rushes.
Behind every successful retail floor is a smooth warehouse and logistics operation. But these areas experience the same seasonal strain, handling increased shipments, order fulfillment, returns and cycle-counts. InDemand offers warehouse-staffing solutions that bring in skilled workers for picking, packing, sorting, and coordination, so your supply chain keeps flowing while your current staff remain focused on their core roles.
A clean, safe, and welcoming store environment plays a critical role in customer experience. Yet, during high-traffic periods, facilities and custodial tasks often fall to over-stretched staff. InDemand provides facility support, making sure store floors stay clean, restrooms are maintained, and common areas reflect your commitment to excellence. Let the InDemand team take care of the essential maintenance.
Understaffing doesn’t just hurt operations; it hurts your people. And when your people are stressed, your store suffers.
Research shows that investing in the well-being of your workforce drives better performance across the board.
Partnering with InDemand Services means giving your employees breathing room to focus on what they do best: engaging with customers, driving sales, and delivering top-notch in-store experiences.
With InDemand on your side, your store will see happier employees, better service, and stronger performance during retail’s most critical months.
The holiday season shouldn’t feel like survival mode. It should be an opportunity to grow revenue, build brand loyalty and deliver exceptional service. But that’s only possible if you have the right staffing strategy in place.
InDemand Services helps retailers overcome the challenges of Q4 by providing reliable, scalable workforce solutions that keep operations running, even when demand surges.
From store resets and merchandising to warehouse staffing and facility support, InDemand offers the workforce and the tools you need to maintain excellence without overextending your core team. Don’t let understaffing steal your season’s success. Instead, discover how we can help your retail operation thrive this holiday season.
Learn More About Our Services—from stocking and resets to custodial care and warehouse operations
