FREEPORT — L.L. Bean announced Monday that it would pay out slightly more than $1 million to roughly 5,000 full- and part-time employees in recognition of its spring season’s sales numbers.

The outdoor retailer’s sales in all channels — online, catalog and in-store — increased 3 percent during the spring season, which runs from March to August, compared to the season last year, said Carolyn Beem, a company spokeswoman.

All full- and part-time employees hired prior to August will receive a gift between $35 and $185 based on their length of employment, Beem said.

This “spring gift” is not an annual occurrence, she said, but “a special recognition just because we know employees have been working hard and making significant contributions.”

Beem wouldn’t reveal the total spring sales figure but said it was the highest for the spring season since 2008.

“Retail industry reports in general have not been all that positive, but this one was for us profitable and productive,” she said.

L.L. Bean provides discretionary performance bonuses each year based on annual sales. In March, the company said it would provide 7.5 percent bonuses to its full- and part-time employees after the company posted $1.52 billion in revenue in 2012.

Beem wouldn’t say whether the spring season has the company on track to beat its 2012 figures, but she did acknowledge that L.L. Bean executives are hopeful this rise in sales is an early indicator of an improved economic climate.