Macy’s Inc. announced today it plans to hire approximately 78,000 seasonal associates for its Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores, call centers, distribution centers and online fulfillment centers nationwide for the holiday season. The hiring plan represents an increase of about 4 percent from the approximately 75,000 seasonal associates hired for last year’s holiday season. Most of the positions are part-time.

Toys R Us will hire more than 40,000 workers to staff its U.S. stores and distribution centers this holiday season, nearly doubling its workforce, the company announced last week. In previous years, the company has hired between 35,000 and 45,000 seasonal workers. The company has approximately 45,000 workers throughout the year.