About 600 to 700 tractor trailers of inventory are expected to be unloaded this week, she said. The company also receives inventory by rail car.
The distribution center off of Hopewell Road was shipping supplies to 219 stores as of Wednesday, Brisentine said. Once the center is up to capacity, supplies will be shipped to almost 400 stores in the Mid-Atlantic, Southern and Midwest regions.
Two smaller Staples distribution centers in Delaware closed last week since they couldn't handle the large volume and the center in Washington County is now operating, Brisentine said. Employees at the Delaware centers were offered jobs at the local center.
While there are no immediate plans to expand the center, there is room to expand to about 1 million square feet.
Staples is still hiring and will start a night shift by the end of March, Brisentine said. Employees work three 12-hour days a week on a rotating schedule so no one has to work every weekend.
Jobs include lift operators and receiving and shipping clerks, she said.
Starting pay for the average job is $8 an hour with some jobs starting at $7.50 or $9.50 an hour.
People interested in applying for a job with Staples should go to the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation's Job Services office at Public Square in downtown Hagerstown.
