Focus on financially healthy chains. Pursue job opportunities at supermarket chains and discounters that have benefited from shoppers who are buying only the necessities.
  Look for jobs where you regularly shop and that you’re passionate about. That knowledge of the products will come through in interviews.
  Meet the managers: Don’t just drop off your résumé, but try to meet the store managers to stand out from the crowd of applications.

Don’t count on a job selling sweaters at your favorite department store. Retail jobs from sales associates to managers are harder to find as merchants close stores, lay off thousands of workers—or go out of business. Whenever a retailer does hire employers, it’s usually inundated by people hoping for a job. J.C. Penney Co. got 15,000 applications, more than double what it expected, for 500 positions at its new Manhattan store.

Saxon Shoes opened a store outside Fredericksburg yesterday, expanding beyond the Richmond area for the first time in its 56-year history. “We saw there was demand for what we do,“ said Gary Weiner, Saxon’s president. “It’s a strong market that’s practically a Wash ington suburb, and we found people didn’t want to drive an hour north [to Washington] or an hour south [to Richmond]. So it made sense.“

While the economy has taken its toll on some area businesses, one local retailer is expanding because of the downturn. Norma Santamaria, who owns Baggio on Gayton Road near Quioccasin Road in Henrico County, has moved her store to accommodate the increase in traffic and inventory she’s seen since the economy began to sour last year. Baggio is a consignment shop that deals in high-end women’s clothing, bags, shoes and jewelry.

As bills start piling up in consumers’ mailboxes, retailers are tallying receipts from one of the most difficult holiday shopping seasons in years and planning ahead to an uncertain new year.

As bills start piling up in consumers’ mailboxes, retailers across central Virginia nation are tallying receipts to see whether holiday sales were as bad as predicted. Early indications and preliminary numbers aren’t good. Some consultants are predicting that thousands of stores will be closed in the coming year. Retailers are expected to report monthly sales Thursday.

The holiday season has been challenging for retailers dealing with one of the toughest economic climates in years. The Richmond Times-Dispatch is tracking three retailers to see how they do.