Yikes! Did you know that the average American will spend somewhere between $659 and $942 on holiday gift giving in 2019? PBS reports that the National Retail Federation’s annual survey of holiday spending predicts that the typical American will spend $659 on gifts for family, friends, and co-workers. Gallup puts the number a little higher, at $942, with more than a third of respondents expecting to spend over $1,000 on gifts.
Either way, that’s a lot of money, especially when you consider that doesn’t even include other holiday incidentals, like food, travel, greeting cards, and decorations. You can see how quickly it is to blow your monthly budget. In fact, a survey by LendEDU says that 20% of consumers anticipate going into debt to afford Christmas this year. That’s crazy! And completely unnecessary. The first (and maybe only rule) for gift giving is to avoid overspending and sinking into debt.
How can you accomplish this? That's where gig work or on-demand staffing comes to the rescue. The holiday season is the time of the year when retailers, restaurants, shipping companies, hotels, and many other businesses, need extra help and are willing to pay for it—providing lucrative side hustles for gigsters. It’s a great way to try out the gig economy, pay for gifts, and avoid “holiday debt.”
In general, companies tend to post up to three times their normal amount of openings during November and December. Retail positions are one of the easiest side gigs to find during the holidays with added benefits. The hours are very flexible, extending into the evening and over the weekends. You can work both a 9 to 5 job and pick up retail shifts. Some stores even sweeten the deal with employee discounts ranging from 10 to 20 percent off for gig workers.
What are some other types of gigs you can do over the holidays besides retail? On-demand jobs this holiday season include everything from sorting and delivering mail and packages to snow removal, stocking shelves, warehouse and distribution centers, cashiers, customer service, kitchen shifts (servers, dishwashers and cooks), making deliveries, gift wrapping, and more.
Besides paying for the holidays, gig work has a lot to offer:
- Gig work offers flexible schedules: day and nights, weekdays and weekends.
- The pay is great, $10 to $25 per hour, depending on the gig.
- There are no minimum amount of shifts required. You can work 5 hours one Saturday, skip a week and the following week pick up 2 night shifts. It’s really up to you how much or how little you want to work.
- You have complete control to pick and choose the type of work you want.
- You’re paid weekly.
- You have extra cash in your pocket.
- Gig work could lead to permanent work.
Do you live in the Bozeman area? Download the GigWorx app and get yourself one step closer to your goals!
