LOS ANGELES—With Christmas just a week away, some children may have difficulty finding a Santa Claus to tell their gift wishes to, as some placement agencies report they have struggled to hire Santas this year. The demand for Santas this year has increased 120 percent compared to the pre-pandemic days of 2019 while the number of Santa Clauses was down by 10 percent, according to Mitch Allen, founder and “Head Elf” at HireSanta.com, a Santa rental agency founded in 2012. Allen suggested that the current high demand for Santa is primarily from retailers looking to drive in-store sales. Personal events are also accounting for the surge in demand as families—some for the first time in two years—are again gathering for celebrations and want them to be as festive as possible. The primary driver of Santa workforce reduction appears to be COVID-19. According to Allen, 335 of his professionally trained Santas …
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