Borders Reviews

Pros

Casual work environment with a great base of coworkers. You get a great discount and you are allowed a very flexible schedule.

Cons

They pay is really low without much room for bonuses and after all the store closings you can kiss your chances of advancing in the company goodbye.

Advice to Senior Management

Raise your pay rate or offer more bonus opportunity. You will never keep long term employees if you can barely pay your rent.

Pros

The culture was art-centric, literature-centric, film-centric. Know-how in these areas was welcome and encouraged, and I had some of the best conversations with some of the best people I've met there--coworkers and customers alike. Plus, access to the books, music and movies was great; employees also had a book loan perk, so the store operated as a library for us.

Cons

Unfortunately, the company appears to be on its last legs, which is heartbreaking. In its heyday, the place was heaven. Otherwise, salary is abysmal unless you reach management, and even then it's, well, retail salary. Not great. But who works in a bookstore for the money?

Advice to Senior Management

The store management was too often put between a rock and an impossible place, trying to hold the store together while dealing with the conflicting directives sent down from the corporate office. Bad corporate decisions made store management difficult.

Advice: allow the store managers to manage the store in more than name. Allow them to make decisions for the store and to better represent the local community in inventory and events.

Pros

Decent discount. Diverse work environment ( I was able to keep in all my piercings and you can dress in your regular clothes. No lousy uniforms! ). Employees and managers were like family, and all hung out and did stuff together when off the clock. The customers were awesome as well, so many different types of people!

Cons

It was difficult getting someone to take a shift for you when something came up and you couldn't make it to work. Though, they did a good job understanding, they would still dislike when you called off your shift without finding a co-worker who could cover (Rightfully so! It's just hard when people are selfish and won't help you out and cover or switch shifts). Also, notes (about scheduling days off) left for managers in their mailboxes often times went unnoticed and you were forced to find people to cover for you, work that shift even when you couldn't, or call off and have co-workers/management in a tizzy because it was one less body on the floor and they had to try to call other co-workers in on their days off.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep hiring diverse people and keep the current dress code! It makes for a relaxed fun environment and people will always remember Borders for that. Try to pay attention to the notes you receive from your workers! I know it's hard to balance all the managerial duties, but it will keep the workers happy and more willing to come in on their days off if you need them. :)

Pros

People employed there, management and staff
Customers who visit the store
Products to recommend, depth of iinvntory
Employee discounts and special offers

Cons

Limited advancement opportunities within the store
Bare minimum number of supervisors to run the store
Filed for bankruptcy and let employees go from 200 stores
No severence pay for long term employees who were let go

Advice to Senior Management

Quit reinventing the wheel
Change is good, but too many changes over too short a time is hazardous to business
especially senior management and CEOs at the top.

Pros

Great evnironment
Fun to work around books, music, and movies
Great opportunity to help people

Cons

Low pay and late hours

Advice to Senior Management

Give more feedback about job performance

Pros

Even as recently as five years ago, Borders always had someone at the helm who listened to (and hired) good employees and managers, who in turn, also hired good store people and so on.

Cons

All executives point blame on other executives and no one is stepping up to take responsibility. Also, there are people with great work histories and good ideas that are ignored and dismissed.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to the people that have work experience and results, not just consultants. If the consultants find an expense to cut, question the data and demand a solution.

Pros

Most managers and employees are nice. The customers are patient and understanding. The hours are flexible and change often. The benifits are fair and average. Overall, this is a good place to start if you work in the store and not the cafe area.

Cons

Do your absolute best to avoid the cafe area. Supervisors expect perfection and will threaten to fire you for small mistakes. You are expected to memorize all drink recipies and produce them perfectly within 1-2 weeks of hiring date. You need to be lightning fast and pretend to be a very happy worker. Unless you are a Master Barista, do not apply to be a Cafe Seller.

Advice to Senior Management

Please closely observe how supervisors are treating new employees.

Pros

Great team
Great customers
Pay was ok

Cons

Lack of hours
Lack of growth
Snobby customers
Store closing

Advice to Senior Management

Maybe yall should pay attention to more of the employee concerns if you are worried about numbers in the store. Most of our customers were returning customers so that whole Border Rewards percentage calculation was bs!

Pros

It's a great place to meet like minded individuals who enjoy books and publishing culture. Each store manager is generally very good about time off and offering a flexible schedule.

Cons

Abusive or rude patrons are the norm, and poor communication and management from home office which played a role in bankrupting the company. Very sad for a company that had so much promise.

Advice to Senior Management

I don't think it would make much of a difference at this point, but the company needs to consider focusing on the customers that are loyal and employees that know a lot about books. Stop following fads.

Pros

As a bookseller I enjoyed a variety of tasks, personalities and products. It was great exercise, continuously challenging and never dull.

Cons

Typical retail gripes: low wages, inconsistent hours, some obnoxious managers. After all the emphasis on customer service, in the end it was really about pushing the $20 rewards card and making the quota.

Advice to Senior Management

A lot of my customers expressed their sadness and sense of loss when the store closed so whatever is left of this company, make it work! People love bookstores!