Borders – “Borders: Happy employee's, Happy customer's!”

Pros

Borders simply put, is an incredibly fun place to work. The company treats it's employees with dignity and respect, and (at least at my store) keeps it's employee's well informed on important issues that affect them. The company (again my store is the example in this case) also maintains a harmonious work environment that is fun and healthy. Borders does have a very strict hiring standard and it pays off well, as the vast majority of employees are responsible and happy people that work well together. Lastly the purpose of the company is to sell books (and other media), and as a dedicated reader it's kind of childhood dream come true to have a job based around selling and recommending books, music, and movies to customers. The store's customers are also a rewarding part of the company; people generally come to a bookstore to read & expand their mind in some fashion or another, and assisting them in that is both rewarding and fun.

Cons

Low pay, and difficulty in getting hours are a few problems that are consistent issues for myself and my coworkers. On a greater scale, I have been told by several coworkers that there is a large disparity in the quality of management from store to store, I being lucky to work at one that is consistently well managed and profitable. I am friends with many people that have transferred from other stores across the country that have serious issues with poor management, and as a result their experiences with the company have not been as positive as my own.

Advice to Senior Management

I would suggest that Mr. Marshall put a greater focus on store level community involvement. Bookstores have traditionally played a very large role in intellectual and artistic circles of American cities, and Borders could give itself an edge if every Superstore was to focus on hosting events and involvement on issues that matter greatly to it's local community, and as a result it would drive sales and profit. I would also suggest that some of his recent changes to driving sales (hand selling being the prime example) and the recent downsizing have not (yet at least) had a positive effect on the company, at least from an employee's perspective.