Mankato Halloween costume company says seasonal worker situation not as scary as years past

MANKATO, Minn. (FOX 9) - Fun.com carries just about any Halloween costume you can imagine, from a swordfish to Big Bird.

With the holiday just a few days away, the company is kicking into high gear.

"Everyone shops last minute. We're ready for it. That's why we need so many seasonal workers," said CEO Tom Fallenstein.

Fallenstein says the company, which also operates HalloweenCostumes.com has about 250 full-time employees. But for its busy season, it has to hire 2000 seasonal workers to pick, pack and ship as many as 85,000 orders a day.

"What we do on a peak day here in October is more than what we'll do in all of June," said Fallenstein.

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Even though there is an ongoing worker shortage and Minnesota has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, Fallenstein says the company was able to hire enough temporary employees to keep up with growing demand.

He credits the company offering at least 20 dollars an hour, flexible schedules, and a fun working environment with attracting everyone from high school and college students to retirees looking to scare up some extra cash.

Fun.com CEO Tom Fallenstein shows off their costume selection. (FOX 9)

"We were so concerned going into this season, would we be able to find enough people, we invested in some new automation, brought in robots. They couldn't keep up with demand, so we had to shut off the robots and bring in more people again," said Fallenstein.

Unlike two years ago, when the company had to bring workers in from outside Mankato and pay for them to stay in a hotel, Fallenstein says business has been more treat than trick the last couple of months, but he is looking forward to a slowdown soon.

"I know my team is stressed. Everyone is super tired. It's the end of Halloween. We are ready for a break," said Fallenstein.