Barnes & Noble College Bookstores Reviews

Pros

Senior management is has been there for a long time and are committed to the company. They understand the business in a way that executives from other companies often do not. They provide a great framework from which to draw support and do not bury store management in unnecessary work. They extend an a high level of trust to their managers because they are confident that they have the best talent in the right places. The buyers at BNCB are just phenomenal. It is obvious that they understand their support role in helping you achieve your goals and they really execute on your behalf.

The company recognizes high performers and people who consistently do things the right way. There is plenty of opportunity for internal talent to move up in this company for interested individuals.

Cons

Honestly very few cons. Work hours can be horrible during rush periods, but that is balanced out by the very easy schedule during the rest of the year. You are tied to an academic calendar, so you get lots of days off and most campuses get to leave early on Fridays.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep it up. Keep expanding. Keep showing this industry what's next.

Pros

401k, Medical, Dental, Vision Vacation
Summer hours, discounts

Cons

Needs better structure for the employee growth. When allowed you can only transfer departments not gain a position of management through growth.

Advice to Senior Management

Consider employee career development plans

Pros

Friendly, exciting work environment. Great discount, holiday off

Cons

long walk on campus in the cold weather

Pros

The management team seems very flexiable.

Cons

Retail does not pay a livable wage

Pros

Great benefits, with some great people in the company. Great employee discounts if you love books! Hard work is generally rewarded.

Cons

There is a major disconnect between employees and upper management at the Home Office, and how the stores are actually run. Many home office employees appear to have never worked not only in a BNCB store, but in retail at all, and do not understand the natural flow of the retail environment. Cronyism is rampant at the highest echelons of the company.

Advice to Senior Management

Upper management needs to work out a way to bridge the divide between the Home Office employees and the stores. In-store training should be required for all H.O. employees during peak periods, in the same way training occurs at Home Office for store management.

Pros

Looks good on a resume
Pleasant work location
Some nice "soft" benefits (discounts, summer hours)

Cons

Very political - certain departments try to promote themselves at the expense of others and certain executives enable this behavior
Very large divide between the millionaires in upper management and everyone else
Certain "C"-level executives excessively micromanage and then try to blame others for the poor results
Lowball salary offers

Advice to Senior Management

Stop enabling an atmosphere of distrust and disharmony among mid-level home office management. Recognize that when an executive is constantly taking discipilinary action against his own staff, that is a reflection on the executive, not the staff. There is a perception among the staff that the C-level execs got uber-rich when the company was sold and everyone else got left out.

Pros

job does not require long hours

Cons

communication between departments is lacking

Advice to Senior Management

appeasing one department at another department's expense is unfair

Pros

Excellent benefits. Fun working environment. Overall a great place to work. It's retail but it's not your normal retail. You definitely work hard for you money.

Cons

The pay is not great or fair for that matter but that's probably a case by case situation. You may not have crazy holidays like "black friday" but you have to deal with 'Rush' and exams.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay your people appropriately. If you can't, tell them up front that it may be a long road but worth it in the end.

Pros

All in all it is a fun place to work, not an overly difficult job and there is opportunity for growth if you can play into how the company wants you to act.

Cons

There is a huge pay difference between the department manager and supervisors as compared to the store managers and assistant managers. Department managers are given direct control over there departments and are expected to make sales goals, meet payroll, etc. The store managers then get a bonus for meeting store sales goals, but no recognitin is given to the department managers.

Pros

Good heath benefit. Not hard work. Satisfaction of helping the customer.
Ability to flex work hours. Discounts on merchandise & books.

Cons

Hours get cut. Not enough help to complete tasks that are asked of you. Management does not work side by side with you. Trainingt is poor.