Every year, Zingerman’s hires hundreds of individuals for the holiday season. We increase our people power by 30 percent in November and December, topping out at about 1,000 organization wide, to help manage increased orders, seasonal product production, events, and daily retail traffic.

Of all the businesses in the organization, Zingerman’s Mail Order brings on the most employees for the rush—a 24-hour-a-day operation that includes servicing phone and online orders as well as packing thousands of shipments of artisanal foods (we sell more Sour Cream Coffee Cake than you ever can imagine). There are plenty of perks, including a starting wage of $11/hour, free meals, discounts, and paid breaks. For some employees, there’s another plus: many who start as temporary Mail Order employees stay on and become permanent members of the team.

Val Neff-Rasmussen is a great example. A holiday hire back in 2010, Val got her start answering phones in the Service Center – today, she’s the Marketing Specialist at Mail Order, a position she helped create for herself. The job combines her love of food with her talent for writing, and she also gets to travel the world in search of great food!

Val says she was able to move up by “leaping” at every interesting opportunity that came her way—she believes that opportunities abound in her business, so long as one is willing to really go for it.

“I feel like I’ve gotten everything I’ve asked for because one, I asked for it and two, I worked for it, but I’ve also realized that there’s a third piece: when the opportunities were offered to me, I said ‘yes’,” she explains.

Samaan Webster, who was just hired last holiday season, echoes Val’s sentiment. “Not even just here, but in any business in the ZCoB (Zingerman’s Community of Businesses), you have those opportunities to move up and work up,” he says, adding that he hopes to be at Mail Order for the foreseeable future and would like to take on new responsibilities.

The bond he’s created with co-workers and the “inviting” company culture are two of the biggest reasons Samaan would like a future with Zingerman’s. He says he’s had other enjoyable jobs, but as he puts it, “There’s just something about Mail Order. I was just, like, ‘No, I need to stay.’”

Warehouse Manager J Atlee, who worked his first holiday season back in 2005, says he stayed on because, from the start, he felt like something was definitely different than other companies he’d worked with. “It was mainly the culture,” he explains. “You know, we worked hard, we did a lot of intense work, but the culture underlying it was positive. It was embracing, and it was very welcoming.”

Want to be part of the Mail Order holiday team? Pay starts at $11, and there are full- and part-time opportunities. We have spots in the Service Center and the Warehouse. Our other businesses are also looking for seasonal help—check out all Zingerman’s job opportunities our jobs page.

Zingerman’s is hiring! There’s so much going on at our Community of Businesses right now, and we’re looking for lots of people (Maybe you? Maybe your friend? Maybe your cousin’s next door neighbor?) to help. Full-time, part-time, and temporary jobs are available.

Here’s a list of just some of the positions we’re filling. You can see a complete list and apply online here. It’s easy!