Shayla Cooper waited outside the new Walmart hiring center in Midtown since 7 a.m. She battled crowds and the rain to throw her hat in the ring.
"I do work now but I need to get something more permanent," Cooper said, adding she works as a seasonal employee for Tropicana Field.
The single mother of three lives down the road from the new Walmart Neighborhood Market. The new food store is set to open in the old Sweetbay Supermarket location in late January. She was hit hard when the Sweetbay closed last February, but news of a new store -- and new jobs -- kept her hopeful.
"I'm ready to work," she said. "This has been a long time coming."
Hundreds of people snaked along the new hiring center on 22nd St. S., all vying for the same opportunity. The Midtown Walmart will hire about 95 employees, said Store Manager Karl Spady. Those applying could be considered for jobs in other new Walmart locations across the Bay area, totally about 700 available jobs.
The demographic varied from the inexperience to the educated. Kalon Houston is 18 years old and hopes to get his first job at the Midtown Walmart.
"I actually live right up the street so it would be perfect for me to get this job so I could just walk to work," he said. Houston has struggled to find a job since he has no experience.
And he's not alone. Larry Billue came prepared with his Bachelor of Arts in Management -- but that was about it. He said he's tried to get a job since he graduated college two years ago, but he lacked the experience necessary.
"Whatever is on the table I'll gladly accept," Billue said. "I really need to start moving on and forward with my career and to start paying off my student loans."
After waiting in line, job seekers filled out an application online and had a short conversation with an assistant manager. It'll take about two weeks for managers to filter who they'd like to interview for jobs. Those jobs will start in December.
If you'd like to apply for a job at the Midtown Walmart or a different store, check out http://careers.walmart.com/.