Spirit Halloween launches largest hiring push in company history for 2026

Spirit Halloween’s plan to bring on more than 52,000 seasonal associates for 2026 is not just a staffing headline. It is a reminder that peak-season retail labor is still won by the chains that can hire fast, promise flexibility and make the job feel organized from day one.

The company called it the largest hiring event in its history, and the scale matters for Big Lots because it shows how aggressively seasonal employers are building labor before the rush hits stores. Spirit said the hiring push will support more than 1,500 retail locations across the U.S. and Canada and will cover Seasonal Sales Associates, Assistant Managers and Regional, Zone and Store Managers. Applicants can apply at Work4Spirit.com or by texting “REAPER” to 85000, a quick-apply setup that reflects how retail recruiting now leans on speed as much as volume.

Spirit is also using a wider set of incentives to pull workers in. The company said it is offering competitive hourly pay, schedule flexibility, seasonal pay incentives, retention bonuses and a 30 percent employee discount. For workers balancing school, caregiving or another job, that mix can matter as much as the base rate. For retailers like Big Lots, especially in seasonal categories such as patio, holiday, toys and home refresh, the message is clear: recruiting is not just about posting openings, but about selling a shift pattern, a store rhythm and a path to making money quickly without chaos.

This is also part of a pattern. Spirit said its 2026 hiring target tops its 2025 goal of 50,000 seasonal workers and matches the 2024 target of 50,000 seasonal employees. The company, based in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, says it has served Halloween enthusiasts for more than 30 years and operates 1,500-plus seasonal stores across the U.S. and Canada. That kind of repeat hiring campaign shows seasonal retail has become a logistics operation, with chains building labor plans months ahead and using tightly aimed recruiting channels to fill stores before demand peaks.

Big Lots’ position makes the comparison sharper. Former BL Stores, Inc. and its subsidiaries initiated voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings on September 9, 2024, and Axios reported that Big Lots had about 27,700 employees and more than 1,300 stores in 48 states when it filed. In that context, Spirit’s 52,000-person push is a benchmark for how much labor a retailer can command when the model is seasonal and the recruiting engine is built for scale. For Big Lots workers, it is a snapshot of a market where the fastest, clearest offer often wins the hourly race.