Borders Reviews

Pros

Borders was a great place to work most of the time. My coworkers were knowledgeable and passionate, and most customers shared a love for books.

Cons

Management from the top on down were uni formally terrible. Not only did they sell away their online business to Amazon around 2000, dooming their presence on the web, but they were slow to catch on to eReaders, chose to support shoddy technology when they became too big to ignore, and ultimately never showed any foresight. Add to that over 1200 stores at the chain's peak, and there was no way they could sustain their business model. Management at the store level were mostly yesmen and those who dared try to make the place feel like a bookstore were promptly asked to step down.

Advice to Senior Management

A bookstore is meant to be a bookstore, but a bookstore needs to turn a profit, too. Any bookstore that wants to be competitive will have to keep a small physical footprint and emphasize its online and eReader businesses.

Pros

Great product, Great customer service, and Great store staff.

Cons

Always making changes, with out any direction, nor what the effects would be to the store.

Pros

Well, it was great...now we almost don't exist anymore. The people were what made this job the best ever.

Cons

Going out of business...liquidation, that has not been fun at all. Too many CEOS

Advice to Senior Management

Should have listened to your employees sooner.

Pros

Best part of the job were my colleagues and employees

Cons

Continually changing goals, expectations from a constantly changing exec team, none of whom could execute their way out of a cardboard box.

Advice to Senior Management

N/A

Pros

Great overall. It is too bad the company is going under. I really enjoyed everything about it. It was super.

Cons

Everything was good. The company made some poor financial moves an that ended up costing us the company. Great employees.

Pros

The flexible schedule, the people, love of books and being appreciated.

Cons

No pay raises. Pushing us to books for donations to locale charities. This went on for way too long.

Advice to Senior Management

You needed to come down and do undercover boss and see exactly how things really were in the book selling trenches. But I guess your lack of concern in this area (our area), shows since you let the company go under.

Pros

Great and varied work environment

Cons

Operationally and technologically behind the times.

Pros

You get to work with books and help people find the best books for them. Great atmosphere, good coffee on the cheap.

Cons

They've been making bad business decisions for 10 years now. Filed for bankruptcy in February and now are in liquidation.

Advice to Senior Management

Would've been nice if they took advice from people at the store level when making decisions. The corporate level knew almost nothing about books or how to run a successful bookstore.

Pros

For retail is was a good place to work with great benefits and interesting merchandise

Cons

Low pay. No control by management of employees who weren't doing their jobs. Too much pressure to sale Plus card, get donations for charities and sale add ons.

Advice to Senior Management

Good bye. Sorry it didn't work out. Now we can only choose from B&N and Books A Million

Pros

used to be a really great place to work, lots of opportunity to make a difference in the community and in the way the store ran

Cons

became very corporate and stopped accepting ideas from the stores

Advice to Senior Management

sometimes other people do know what they are talking about even if they have been around a while