hhgregg begins 2-week job fair to fill seasonal slots at two stores

Appliance and electronics retailer hhgregg Inc. has tapped some former Circuit City managers to run the two Richmond-area stores the Indianapolis-based retailer plans to open next month.

Now hhgregg is looking to take advantage of other talent left behind when Circuit City Stores Inc. closed in March.

"There is no question that there is a really talented base of former Circuit City employees in this area that we hope to capitalize on," said Andrew Eaton, a regional manager for hhgregg who worked for the now-defunct Henrico County-based electronics retailer for 13 years.

Eaton oversees operations of two hhgregg stores set to open in November, before Thanksgiving, at Short Pump Town Center in western Henrico and one off Huguenot Road near Chesterfield Towne Center in Chesterfield County.

To fill about 80 positions needed to operate those stores, hhgregg began a two-week job fair yesterday at the Hotel Sierra at the Short Pump Town Center. It is scheduled to end Oct. 17.

But all the positions are seasonal and will last only through the Christmas holiday shopping season. The retailer will take a look at its staffing levels at the two stores after the holiday season and make adjustments, Eaton said. Some may be asked to remain.

By yesterday at 9:30 a.m., Eaton and his store managers had seen about 65 people. An additional 200 people had applied online by yesterday morning.

By the end of the day, 400 people had come.

Most of the jobs that hhgregg was hiring for are sales associates. The retailer pays its sales associates a commission, a practice Circuit City eliminated in 2003.

Frank Booker of Richmond applied for one of the sales positions.

He had worked as a sales associate at Circuit City in the mid-1980s. For the past several years, he sold mobile homes but lost his job last year when the company he worked for moved to South Carolina.

Booker said that the commission sales structure helps motivate employees and is a better reward for work well done.

Some shoppers may worry about having to deal with commissioned sales people, but Eaton said that hhgregg puts its sales staff through rigorous training to make sure they focus on customer service.

Anyone attending the fair must fill out an application online. But those who attend will have the advantage of making an impression with a manager, Eaton said.

The chain also is creating a database of candidates as it looks to open other stores in the area, Eaton said.

The company is expected to open stores at the Shops at White Oak Village in eastern Henrico and in Colonial Heights.

Many of those who attended the job fair yesterday morning had lost their jobs in the recession.

Scott Perkins of Louisa County has been out of work for nearly two years. He applied for a warehouse position at the Short Pump store.

"I haven't seen that many companies hiring, so it was good to see these jobs and get a chance."

Contact Louis Llovio at (804) 649-6348 or .