With the holidays and the accompanying gift-buying frenzy approaching, the "Help Wanted" signs posted in the windows of your favorite housewares or clothing stores might appear tempting.

After all, what could be easier and more financially responsible than getting a part-time job to pay for your holiday purchases, while enjoying an employee discount?

A lot of things, says John Rossheim, a career expert with the job site Monster.com.

"You have to think if you want to give up whatever family time you have leading up to the holidays," he says. "You also have to ask yourself if you want to deal with that kind of stress — whether it's running after customers, picking up the jeans they drop on the floor or having to deal with them face-to-face."

Still, if you have the energy and the time, a holiday job can be a great way to pay for gifts or build some new experience on your resume.

The National Retail Federation, an industry trade group, estimates retailers made about 629,000 holiday hires last year. Department stores alone, the group says, increase staffing levels by about 12.5 percent during the holidays. The biggest retailers tend to complete their hiring by November; but for smaller businesses, the hiring may just be beginning.

Here are five tips to keep your holiday job jolly:

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1) Don't be a grinch to your current employer.

If you already have a full-time position, make sure a holiday job won't compromise it or cause other problems. Your first loyalty has to be to the company that gives you your primary paycheck or the one with which you see your future.

Kira Storch, 34, of San Francisco says she checked with her boss before agreeing to work at a housewares store over the holiday season several years ago.

"I wanted to have their blessing," she recalls. "At the time I was working in a public relations/ market position. November and December tended to be quieter months for the company, so I didn't think it would be a problem."

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2) Negotiate.

Storch also asked the housewares store to schedule her for hours that would not conflict with her primary job and ended up working two weekday nights and one weekend day. Since her holiday job was a short walk from her full-time position, she says it was easy to do a good job for both of her employers.

Rossheim, the Monster.com expert, says retailers may be willing to create flexible schedules to keep holiday help. But he cautions against expecting too much, especially if you're trying to balance family or other obligations. Be prepared to sacrifice.

"A lot of this work is in the evenings and on weekends ... and holiday demand is somewhat unpredictable," he says.

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3) Set your goals.

If you just want to earn some extra cash, then getting a holiday job may be as simple as walking into the first store you see. But if you are looking to change careers or enjoy a holiday discount at a favorite store, some planning will be required.

Depending on the size of the retailer, the process may be fairly impersonal or even online, but it never hurts to walk into a store and introduce yourself to the manager.

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4) Submit your application by Labor Day.

"We began hiring for the holiday season in some cases back in September and by now we should be really close to being fully staffed for the holidays, but there may still be some opportunities," says Dawn Bryant, a spokeswoman for electronics retailer Best Buy, which expects to make 22,000 to 23,000 holiday hires.

More than 40 percent of Best Buy's holiday hires are offered full-time jobs, a reflection of broader retail trends and turnover. That means if you prove yourself on the job you could have a permanent position.

"If you are interested in a permanent job, you should indicate that from the very beginning, when you apply," Rossheim says. "They may try you out in more areas or give you opportunities they would not otherwise."

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5) Don't blow your windfall.

If you get a job to make an extra buck, don't spend it all using your employee discount — unless that's part of the plan.

"I pretty much spent everything I made there," Storch says. "That was exactly what I was hoping to do."

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