WILDWOOD, N.J. (CBS) — The Jersey Shore is gearing up for a busy summer season. At one point, some merchants thought they wouldn’t have the staff to support an active season, but the “Jersey Shorecast” is giving a positive outlook for business owners.
The boards are bare, and there’s a salty chill in the air. The Jersey Shore is staffing up to welcome the crowds on Memorial Day Weekend.
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“We are really excited as Memorial Day approaches,” Denise Beckson said.
Beckson from Morey’s Piers in Wildwood says COVID-19 was a challenge, but they are rebounding and ready.
“The last two years have been really, really difficult, like nothing I have seen, completely unprecedented,” Beckson said, “and this year, we are cautiously optimistic.”
Beckson says at one point, everyone was jumping in to keep the piers up and running.
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“Our CFO was out selling tickets. Our group sales director, who has been here for 30 years, was running a roller coaster,” Beckson said. “Our carpenters are flipping burgers and everybody pitched it.”
But now, they are seeing the open positions fill back up — a sense of relief.
“People are learning to live with COVID and more willing to go back to work and interact and be around others and I think that’s been a big piece of it,” Beckson said.
That’s not all.
Experts recently unveiled this year’s “Jersey Shorecast,” which shows monthly travel spending in the Garden State is increasing following the pandemic — a positive outlook for business owners ahead of the unofficial start of the summer.
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Morey’s Piers is filling open positions with high school students, retirees and even international students again. If you are still looking for a job, there are open spots.