I have been searching for “summer jobs” or just retail jobs” for the past 6 months and I can assure you, it was more difficult that getting to college (not even joking). Here are the issues
Big Companies
-Not accepting in store applications, do the online crap (takes 30 mins) first
-Talk about how they are making way more money than before COVID then say they can only afford minimum wage, while struggling to get employees
-Only want long term, no summer only employees
-Takes a month of communication
-Needs my SSN while doing online applications
-First interview is online only
-Scattered, inconsistent, schedule that is 4 to 25 hrs a week
Small Businesses (all are non-food service)
-Pay under the table or way under minimum wage (I now small businesses can pay less but not 30% less)
-Only give 2 days, 15 hrs a week
-Drop you like a bug
TLDR-None of these places are actually hiring and you go through hoops only to find out theres some major (sometimes illegal) BS