Macy's Brings Jobs former Gottschalks Locations | ABC30 Fresno

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By ABC30

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Fresno, Calif. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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The Gottschalks sign has been taken down here at their former River Park location. Now, a sign on the building says Macy's is now hiring.

A piece of history was removed from the Gottschalks at River Park Monday. The empty space will soon be replaced with a new Macy's sign and new hope for job seekers. "They're moving along construction wise and they're looking for an opening towards the end of October. We were hoping for Christmas and they've moved it up even more," said River Park Spokesperson Tracy Kashian.

With less than two months to go before the big debut, Macy's is looking to hire 128 employees for their new River Park location. Starting Wednesday, they'll accept applications an employment center set up at the Macy's furniture store in Northeast Fresno.

They're also hiring the same amount of people for their new store in Visalia which is set to open later this year. "Anytime you have any job openings at this point in time, is definitely a plus for the local community here."

As of June, the unemployment rate for Fresno County was at 15.2 percent. In Tulare County, it stands at 14.7 percent. Steven Gutierrez with the Employment Development Department says despite those numbers, the retail industry is showing some growth. "Last month, we did see an increase in the retail sector of a hundred jobs in June, where previous to that, we had seen a decline in the retail sector."

Great news for frustrated job seekers we caught up with, who say they'll be the first in line to apply for a job at Macy's.

"What's it been like looking for a job?"

"Hard, because I have kids and I have to work," answered Maria Valdez.

"I'm applying everywhere where I can, because they just put the prices up at Fresno state and I need the money," said Maria Velasquez.

The woman who used to manage the Gottschalks here at River Park was just hired to manage the new Macy's. A River Park spokesperson said they hope that will be an advantage for former Gottschalks employees.