Thread regarding Follett layoffs

GM merchandise is a joke. We received our shipment of writing instruments after rush!! Clothing line is dull and overpriced. All of our clothes are black, green or pink. Not even school colors! Items on the floor over 2 years old and still not marked down! Just received a shipment of hoodies that we certainly didn't need more of only sold 9 of that type in a year $60.00 each. Cheap Alta vista t's 7.95 aweful colors don't even sell. No more Vera or Jackie o designer please!

Someone sitting in the nice comfy office doesn't know what they are doing, it is true they buy the same high priced inferior quality for all campuses. Hey we do sell a lot of convenience food items but we can't even order what our customers want or request. Too bad follett doesn't read all these comments, it's not all gripe employees have some awesome ideas if they would only listen!

while they are at it, they could stop the blatant lies. Some of the stuff they say is obviously untrue as it comes out their mouth. Other stuff is proven untrue in short order. If you can't tell the truth, at least try not to insult my intelligence with obvious lies.

If they want a chance, clean house on upper management and then we will start talking.

GM Product is overprice and generic. Can all universities and colleges be the same? The ecommerce/web strategy is cut from the same cutter. This place stinks

how many years and how many layoffs/benefit cuts do you want to give them?

Give Ray and the family a chance here. I have a feeling come April 1, the biggest problem to this companys downturn, Donald, will be out on his ass.

Waiting for the directive to return all the over-priced clothing sitting on shelves & hangers to be returned to meet goals!! HA!

Course Materials is not struggling due to staff not following directives . That is asinine. Follett is struggling due to price. It's that simple.

You done your COPAR, rounding up to the next dime, quarter etc and you've snuck in freight initiative.

GM product way more expensive than nearly all other sources.

This is the wrong bus to get onboard. Unless you think going over a cliff with a bunch of Sears/Kmart losers within the next few years is your idea of a fun ride. Exit now as you're only enabling poor leadership to keep getting paid exorbitant salaries until this vehicle is out of gas (or rolls off the cliff). They'll all jetison to safety before that happens. You'll get burnt, not them. Rhetoric is meant to spur complacency and commitment in the weak minded and impressionable. We're all smarter than to let this be our fate. I loved this company pre-2013. But I can't see it ever coming back from the brink of inevitable disaster. It feels like that's the real plan of leadership/board/family now. This bus is a deathtrap for anyone without a safety net---and if your title doesn't have SVP in it, or you're not related to family, that ain't you friend.

I guess we'll see what the retail gods have planned in the next couple of weeks. If what we are already seeing is any indication of what the formula of success is going to look like....looks are we are in for nothing but the same. "RG, our CEO and his management team........." Blah...blah...blah...Run when you start hearing talk about a free ticket to get on the bus.

I don't care who you are...now that's funny. Course materials are struggling because that is the nature of the beast. Not because of directives. If anything it is the company putting themselves first that is causing the issue. Hate to tell you folks....very few schools actually care if the company makes a profit. They care about how we treat the students. They care about if we have enough books for every student just in case they can't find it somewhere else. They care about us putting them first in all of our decisions. The company is not struggling because too many employees in the stores....it is struggling because we are way too top heavy. Layers upon layers of uppermmanagement doing what? Seriously!! It is only go to get worse until it is figured out that the formula is all wrong. This industry is not about mindless directives with unrealistic due dates. It's about mangers being able to think for themselves and being allowed to make the needed decisions to make things work. END OF STORY!!!

Not following directives is one of the major reasons why course matierials is struggling. You all have the false sense of "I know better". And fight everything that is different. Keep at.... It's working wonders for you all so far.

response to anonymous Yes we know we should retain books for customers. We are commanded by RM to return and show daily progress to get volume down to an unrealistic number. I guess fear of insubordination and being let go if directive is not followed is the reason for following through and returning books our students need. Truly feel Follett has lost sight of customer needs, can't run a store with no product to sell

Threats by RM. Damned if you do and damned if you don't!

freefall. Get your resume ready.

You can, in fact, request that the return requirements be adjusted for late start courses. Know what courses are late eight weeks, otherwise you are shooting yourself in the foot. They've proven they can't be trusted to know your market, it's up to you. And frankly from what you've posted, I'd say you know a hell of a lot better what to do than someone at the home office to do right by your customers. Stick to your guns on that one.

Follett requiring books be send back to deplete inventory. No books for students coming in to purchase books for spring 2nd 8 week classses. Many lost sales and thousands of $$ lost. These are sales we could have kept, but Follett makes the stupid decisions , then wants explanations why sales are down. Yes we tell them to order through the Follett online bookstore, almost feels like we are telling them to purchase elsewhere since we don't have the books required. Wish the CEO's would realize what idiotic decisions are made.