Employees have submitted new reviews of B&N and management and the results is VERY BAD!
Management only ever saw you as a statistic
Bookseller (Former Employee
Higher up store management only saw employees as statistics and memberships, not human beings with needs. They also never led by example. Many were forced to work while ill (not during covid-19).
All other managers were amazing and cared about your growth and forming friendships.
HR was amazing as well and helped a lot during covid-19. They were quick to answer questions.
Bookseller GREAT! Cafe member HORRIBLE!
Bookseller/Barista (Former Employee)
Cafe members are incredibly overworked. Booksellers are expected to cover cafe members absence if they call in. A typical day at work includes putting on your apron, fighting for who doesn't get to do cash register that day, creating drinks, and do a HUGE list of clean up before the store closes, a proper team to close would be 4 people and only 2 sometimes 1 person had to do the job.
No breaks, Low pay, Highly Stressful Environment, No support from managers
My main gripe was with management, something I have heard repeated from many others I have spoken with (at other locations as well). A big part of my job as a bookseller was to be up at the cash registers and promote the yearly membership that the company offers. We would often be told by management to hit a certain amount per shifts. The problem with that is even when you get ten customers in a row who already have the memberships, a manager would come up to me and ask me why I haven't made any progress in my quota. They would also tell us to constantly be walking around the store, fixing things up when we were not tending to customers, but sometimes it is just busy work and I'd get scolded for doing nothing when there is literally nothing to be doing in the first place. That being said, on the whole, I think management could sure use revamping and improvement.
The job is not difficult but the demands from corporate on bookstores is harsh making it difficult for the lives of employees. Corporate knows nothing about what goes on in the bookstores and the efforts employees make to make the bookstores succeed.
Bad pay, no career advancement, fun atmosphere, nice colleagues and customers
Bookseller (Current Employee)
Do not expect to make any money starting out as a bookseller here, or even down the road. The company pays shamefully low wages. In the past three years, earning an exceptional, the highest rating, at my performance reviews, I earned a 25¢ per hour raise. As my dad said “That’s a good raise. For 1932.” The culture is pleasant and the customers are mostly very nice. There is not much room for professional growth.
Pros
Nice people - customers, colleagues, being able to discuss books
Cons
Terrible pay, dead-end job, little to no feedback, no reward for being rated exceptional
Overall not with the time
Bookseller (Former Employee)
While at first working for the company was fun. I mean it’s Barnes and Noble which for book lovers like me is a dream. It quickly turned into a nightmare. Tons of gossip and backstabbing not to mention lack of pay and benifits
Pay Rate Will Never Rise, No Matter How Many Years You Work There or Job Position
Bookseller/Main Receiver (Current Employee) December 10, 2020
Was quite enjoyable at the beginning, getting to talk to people about your favorite books and get other to read and enjoy them too. Then, when it became clear that they would be giving you more hours and responsibilities, but no pay raises to go with them, it became clear that we were being taken advantage of for how much work we were willing to put in without them having to pay us properly.
Pros:
- Get to talk to customers about books and sell your favorite books
- Fellow book-loving coworkers
Cons:
- Minimal pay forever, even when you've been there for years and been trained in every position in the store,
- No support from Store Management or Corporate
- No benefits
- Management will sell their firstborn child just to appease a customer, even if said customer talked to you like dirt and was a genuinely horrible person to everyone in the store
Great co workers, awful management
Bookseller (Former Employee) December 5, 2020
Very cliquish. If you aren't a friend of the store manager or her assistant, you won't do well here. No matter how much you do for the store sales, if they don't like you, you had better start looking for another job. Great group of baristas and booksellers. Awesome discounts.
Pros
Co workers, discounts
Cons
Office dwelling managers
Terrible pay and pushy on sales numbers
Bookseller (Former Employee) - - December 1, 2020
They always say they are “customer focused” but this isn’t true at all! They are super sales and number focused, pushy on “big sellers” and memberships. They track you, and you get called out if your numbers aren’t good enough. Also, heaven forbid if you spend more than a few minutes helping a customer and not make an absolute sale of whatever book you’re supposed to be pushing that week. And tell someone honestly what you think of a book? Yeah right! Talk about getting in trouble. I love, love, love books and I love to help people discover the joy of reading. Unfortunately, this is not the place for either of those. Oh yeah- and the pay absolutely s—s. $9.50 and hour for someone with 10+ years retail experience?!! Burger King pays better.