An increase in seasonal hiring gives students a chance to earn some cash for the holidays, as stores like Polo Ralph Lauren look for more employees to help with the hike in customers and sales.

Managers at the Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store in Central Valley, N.Y. have every confidence in their customers spending ability this upcoming holiday season.

The Factory Store expects to have made $1.5 million in sales during this year’s Black Friday weekend, an increase from last year’s expected amount of $1.2 million, said Kaitlyn Marsh, women’s floor supervisor at the Central Valley Polo Ralph Lauren.

Marsh also explained that now is a good time for college students to look into seasonal positions.

“This year we hired about 756 people, which is an increase from the 600 we hired last year,” Marsh said. “We have definitely seen an increase in the number of college students we’ve hired.

Taking on a seasonal position is a good opportunity for students to get their foot in the door, especially in retail.

“Students can come home and work for the holidays and then have a guaranteed position for the summer,” Marsh said.

Katie Sullivan, a sophomore at Oswego State, has been working a seasonal position at the Toys “R” Us in Times Square for three holiday seasons.

Sullivan explained that she is unable to find seasonal positions very close to her home but living close to New York City offers many more employment opportunities.

“Seasonal employment is perfect for me because I also have a job on campus but I can’t work that job when I am home on breaks, so taking on a seasonal position allows me to work even when I’m not in school,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan works with a lot of college students especially those in graduate studies.

“I love it,” she said. “The atmosphere is good, I like the people I work [with], the hours are decent and I get paid pretty well.”

Retailers plan to hire 490,000 part-time seasonal workers this year, The National Retail Federation said in a usatoday.com article.

17,800 jobs have been added by retailers last month and a monthly average of 16,500 so far, stated the article.

The Research Firm Customer Growth Partners says holiday sales will increase by 6.5 percent though they expect there will be a decline in new fashions “which are drawing customers to apparel stores,” RFCGP President Craig Johnson said in the article.