10 Christmas Retail Jobs in the UK to Earn Some Extra Cash
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With Christmas just around the corner, retailers across the UK are gearing up for the festive rush, creating a surge in job openings. There are many options for Christmas retail jobs in the UK, but these are the most popular with the highest pay.
Whether you are a student looking to fund your festivities or seeking a temporary income boost, these 10 Christmas retail jobs in the UK can provide the perfect solution.
If you’ve worked seasonal jobs in the past, you’ll be aware of retailers’ desperation to be adequately staffed to meet the holiday demand.
Some of the roles could also become permanent at the end of the season if you enjoy the work and impress your boss!
These jobs all pay above the National Minimum Wage of £10.42 for 23-year-olds and over.
Earn some extra cash for the festive period! Let’s take a look at the jobs.
Fenwick – Santa Claus
Fenwick’s Christmas Grotto is always a hit every year, and they are looking for someone to become Santa Claus in nine locations. Yes, Santa!
You will be situated in Fenwick’s Christmas Grotto in the Santa Cabin with your team of elves, who will greet families on arrival and show them through the Christmas grotto experience before meeting Santa!
If you love Christmas and working with children, this is the perfect gig for you!
Pay: £25 per hour
Click here to see more and other positions at Fenwicks.
Waitrose – Seasonal Supermarket Assistant
Waitrose is recruiting for various seasonal roles, including supermarket assistants, night replenishment stockists and customer delivery drivers.
Night replenishment staff will get the highest pay at around £11.48 per hour.
Waitrose employees are known as ‘partners’ as they own a share of the business. Partners will enjoy a benefits package which includes subsidised food in the Partner dining rooms and discounts in local restaurants.
Pay: Ranging from £10 to £12 per hour depending on the role.
View the jobs on the John Lewis Partnership (Waitrose) website here.
Marks and Spencer – Customer Assistant (Christmas)
M&S is recruiting 10,000 new customer assistants to support their stores over Christmas.
Customer assistant tasks include serving customers on the shop floor and at service points, ensuring the shelves are stocked and engaging with customers.
As a Marks and Spencer colleague, you’ll receive a 20% discount and benefit from on-the-job training.
Pay: £10.90 to £12.05 per hour
View the jobs on the M&S site here
Selfridges – Sales Associate (The Christmas Shop)
Selfridges is looking to hire temporary shop assistants to cover the busy Christmas department.
Shop assistants will sell and replenish stock, organise the merchandise and maintain the highest retail standards.
Selfridges offers a fantastic rewards and benefits package, including subsidised gym membership, training programmes, a pension contribution scheme and exclusive local discounts on various restaurants, bars, beauticians and entertainment.
Pay: £12.75 per hour
View the latest job vacancies on the Selfridges website here.
John Lewis – Retail Assistant (Christmas)
The John Lewis Partnership is hiring over 10,000 positions across all its branches for the seasonal period.
They have over 2,900 temporary roles in sales and merchandising available over the holiday period.
John Lewis says: “It’s no secret that Christmas is a busy time for the Partnership. A magical atmosphere builds in our shops throughout the season and it’s our Partners dedication and commitment to helping customers find the perfect gift for their loved ones that makes it a special place to work and shop. Join us at Christmas and experience the real magic of working in retail.“
Pay: £10.50 to £11.48 per hour
View the openings here, but be quick: the closing date for these jobs is 19th November.
Boots – Retail Operations Assitant (Christmas)
Christmas at Boots is the busiest time of the year, and Boots is recruiting temporary Retail Operations Assistants and Christmas Customer Advisors to help them cover the busy period. There are several roles available across all of the branches in the country.
You could be in the back shop or stock room or preparing boots.com online orders. Full training is provided.
Boots offers a benefits package, including a retirement savings plan and generous employee discounts for Boots brands.
Pay: £10.42 to £11.64 per hour
Check out the latest jobs here.
Next – Christmas Support Team
Next is looking for thousands of temporary Christmas support team members to help manage their busiest time of the year.
The role is flexible and comes with between three and up to 12 weeks of work.
You’ll be working on the sales floor, in the stockroom, or both, and you’ll need to offer fast, friendly service to all customers.
Next offers employees 25% off a vast selection of Next, Lipsy and Victoria’s Secret products, 10% off most partner brands and up to 15% off Branded Beauty. (after one week’s service). 60% off a generous (optional) working wardrobe allowance to buy clothes to wear for work (minimum 6-week contract), early VIP access to sale stock and free health and wellbeing services.
Pay: £11.96 per hour
Click here to see the latest Next Christmas vacancies.
Costa – Christmas Seasonal Barista
Costa gets extremely busy with coffee demand over Christmas, so they are looking for seasonal baristas to help out.
If you love crafting great coffee and serving customers with a smile, this may be your job!
You’ll get free handmade drinks whilst on shift, plus a 50% discount on food and bottled drinks.
Pay: £10.70 to £11.70 per hour, depending on location.
Check out the latest openings here.
Morrisons – Customer Assistant (Seasonal)
Morrisons is one of the UK’s largest supermarkets, selling excellent-value food and groceries to over 11 million customers weekly. So you can imagine how busy it gets over the festive period.
Morrisons is recruiting seasonal customer assistants, who are temporary workers, to support the customers during the busy period.
Customer assistants provide customer interaction on the shop floor, stock replenishment or checkout services.
You can choose from flexible shift patterns to suit your schedule and receive a 15% discount in-store and an additional 10% discount card for a friend or family member, along with other benefits, including healthcare and subsidised in-store cafe or shop floor ranges.
Pay: Around £10.42+ per hour, depending on location.
Check the jobs here on the Morrisons website, and type ‘Christmas‘ into the keyword search box to pull up all the seasonal jobs.
Royal Mail – Seasonal Mail Sorters
This is not strictly a retail job, but it is a great option to be included in this list. Royal Mail offers a variety of seasonal jobs to fulfil the seasonal demand. They have plenty of opportunities, with flexible hours and a simple application process.
Pay: Ranging from £12 to £17 per hour depending on location and shifts.
Click here to check out the opportunities.
Christmas Retail Jobs in the UK – Tips
Working in retail during the festive season can be rewarding and challenging. Here are some handy tips to help you navigate the festive retail environment successfully;
- Embrace the holiday spirit: Christmas is a time of joy and celebration. Embrace the holiday spirit, and bring positive energy to your workplace. Greet customers warmly, wish them happy holidays and create a friendly and festive atmosphere. Your enthusiasm can enhance the overall shopping experience.
- Master time management: The holiday season brings a surge in customer traffic and sales. To handle increased workload efficiently, master the art of time management. Prioritise tasks, stay organised and be proactive in tackling responsibilities.
- Enhance customer service skills: Exceptional customer service is crucial during the holiday season when shoppers may be stressed or in a hurry. Be attentive to customer needs and go the extra mile to assist.
- Stay calm under pressure: The holiday rush can be intense, and situations may arise where you must stay calm. Maintaining composure is vital when dealing with long queues, customer enquiries, or unexpected issues. Take a deep breath, prioritise tasks, and approach challenges positively.
Final Thoughts
These 10 Christmas retail jobs in the UK offer diverse opportunities to earn extra cash and gain valuable skills and experiences. Whether you prefer direct customer interaction or behind-the-scenes organisation, the holiday season presents several options to suit your interests and schedule.
Make the most of this festive season and boost your income and skill set!
Have you worked over the festive period before? Let us know in the comments below!
