INDIANAPOLIS — The early bird catches the gig.

hhgregg is getting a jump-start on its holiday hiring period, announcing it plans to hire more than 550 full-time and part-time positions in its 227 retail locations. This is 20 to 25 percent more than last year, marketing VP Chris Sutton, told TWICE, and a month earlier than usual. The positions are permanent, he noted.

“The annual Black Friday surge will always be there, but we are seeing a trend in recent years of holiday shoppers showing up much earlier than the traditional Thanksgiving-time rush,” said Sutton.

This sentiment dovetails with TWICE’s recent “Christmas in July” retail and distributor webinar, in which participants agreed that consumers are ready to shop by Halloween.