Companies regularly hire temporary employees to help out during the holidays, and some UA students agree that temporary jobs are a good way to earn some extra cash.

UPS Inc. usually brings on extra employees for the holiday season. The company experiences a major increase in usage during “peak week,” or the week just before Christmas. This year, the predicted number of packages UPS will ship throughout the world during peak week is 20 million compared to last year’s 13 million, according to a UPS press release. To compensate for the increase, the company will hire 55,000 temporary employees across the United States to work as drivers, package sorters, loaders and unloaders.

FedEx is also expecting increases, and has even predicted Dec. 12 will be the busiest day in the company’s history, according to a press release. FedEx plans to employ an additional 20,000 seasonal employees to help the 290,000 who are permanently employed throughout the world.

But mail services aren’t the only companies doing extra hiring for the holiday season. Department stores like Target also regularly hire seasonal employees. The Target in the El Con Mall hires 20 to 25 extra employees just to work for the holiday season, according to Maria Garcia, a manager at the store. The extra workers help stock the additional merchandise that the store must order to prepare for Black Friday, which is the store’s busiest day of the year. With the merchandise doubling and the amount of customers also drastically increasing, Garcia said hiring the additional employees makes a big difference.

“It’s great. It just provides more for our guests, so that each person is attended to,” she said. “That way, if they have questions, we can get to them right away.”

J.C. Penney Co. also hires additional employees for the holiday season. According to Sierra Yslas, a political science major who works at the El Con J.C. Penney Co., the store takes on at least 30 additional employees, and the number of working hours almost double for everybody.

The store’s hiring process in August and September adds 10 to 15 more employees, Dominguez said. This year, the company added 20 to 30 more employees, which will make up for the increased amount of sales during the holidays.

Some UA students said the idea of working just a few weeks as a seasonal employee is logical, and that it would make sense for students who could use the extra income during the vacation.

Carlos Tavares, a psychology sophomore, said the possibility of making a permanent job out of a seasonal one would be a good reason to try it out.

“It’s good because you get experience as a worker, and it gets your name out there,” Tavares said. “If you’re doing a really good job, they might even offer you a job as a regular employee.”

But Tavares also said there could be a downside to seasonal hiring, saying that companies might just hire anybody to help, and not necessarily employ people who are knowledgeable about the job.

Julie Edwards, a marketing junior, said having the extra money during the break is always a plus.

“I think it’s a good idea because students don’t want to work year-round sometimes,” she said.

Yvonne Ramirez, a pre-pharmacy freshman, was recently hired on as a temporary employee at J.C. Penney Co., and said that she has enjoyed it so far. Ramirez also said that the experience and the extra money are great, but the possibility of getting hired on permanently is the main benefit.

Jon Weber, a freshman studying pre-physiology, said he agrees that seasonal employment is great for college students.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Weber said. “We’re in college, and we always need money. It’s nice to have a little extra lying around, especially over the holiday season.”