Barnes & Noble...the MacDonalds of book stores...

artman @_@artman @_@
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
...well figure it out. We scan books off shelves constantly, mostly independent publications. Then we'll get a truck load of Al Franken's book in its place (not saying Al is a bad thing...the best book I've read in YEARS). But still it seems they cater to the mainstream, sheep, soft crowd...



Some other observations...to publishers of books:



1. It is a very good idea to put the price of your book somewhere on the book...may sell better, you know?



2. Don't shrink wrap your books, ever. I don't care if they're artsy fartsy books, people will still rip off the wrap. Probably because they want to see and read what they are buying. Duh. . \



3. Why are there two (sometimes three) barcodes on books? Why is it that the one I need to scan is on the inside of the book? And if it was shrink wrapped...why is it stuck on the wrapping and not on the book?



4. Then there are no barcodes...get with it...21st century, you know? Or the sticker with the barcode is so cheaply printed it has faded in to obscurity...spend more money on new printing technology please...



5. Magazines. God, what a mess here. 9 times out of 10 I can't find the price of the rag. It's either microscopic or situated on the cover template to blend into the colors or shadows of an image or picture. See, every magazine I scan...I have to manually enter the price. So if I can't see it...it takes longer...and the customer gets pissed waiting. Help me please mag publishers/designers...get a clue...



I could go on but it's too depressing...but it's off my shoulders now.



Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    billybobskybillybobsky Posts: 1,914member
    "Artman @_@ -- one good deed at a time."
  • Reply 2 of 12
    artman @_@artman @_@ Posts: 2,546member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by billybobsky

    "Artman @_@ -- one good deed at a time."



  • Reply 3 of 12
    liquidrliquidr Posts: 884member
    Artman, I used to be an AM for a Waldenbooks so I can sympathize with many of your gripes. The thing that always bothered me were the strips, so many books and magazines wasted, so much paper. It was technically against policy to take these stripped items home, but my manager and I exercised a blind eye and a don't ask don't tell policy.



    On a loosely related note. Once while I was unpacking some stock I found a box that rattled, not unusual with the type of childrens books and merchandise we would get. However, this box was from one of our vendors that was strictly a magazine vendor. I at once wrote it off that this vendor was venturing into childrens books and stuff. But it didn't rattle quite right. So I opened it up and inside were 4 bottles of a yet to be FDA approved Narcolepsy medication. Provigil, also being tested for ADHD, depression, Alzheimers and Parkinsons. Why does a magazine vendor ship an unapproved-prescription medicine to a Waldenbooks?
  • Reply 4 of 12
    audiopollutionaudiopollution Posts: 3,226member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by LiquidR

    Provigil, also being tested for ADHD, depression, Alzheimers and Parkinsons. Why does a magazine vendor ship an unapproved-prescription medicine to a Waldenbooks?



    They were sending it to Artman ... he was depressed about the state of big-box bookstores, and they thought it would help.
  • Reply 5 of 12
    rick1138rick1138 Posts: 938member
    I work in an independent store in a small town - all the same problems. A question I have is why does the software used in the book industry suck so badly? It can't even interpret UPC codes, so I too, like Artman have to look for the barcode inside. Another complaint I have is that magazines and cards have the Canadian prices as well - you should see customers faces when they are charged the Canadian price by mistake. As far as mainstream tastes go, a business has no choice but to cater to them. The owner of my store will stock any book that sells two or more copies a year, at that point thge store is breaking even, barely. One of the reason small presses have trouble pushing their books is that they make it impossible for booksellers to make money, or even to break even. For example I would love to fill out the philosophy section with some books by Derrida, but to get them in the store it would cost 80 - 100 % of the cover price. There is no way I can justify that to my boss. On a good note there is a high demand for serious fiction. We have close to 3,000 books in the fiction section, which is a lot for a small town.



    P.S. Al Franken's book is great.
  • Reply 6 of 12
    not unlike myselfnot unlike myself Posts: 2,037member
    Can I Value size my book order to get a Clinton Bio? And what about free bookmarks?
  • Reply 7 of 12
    rick1138rick1138 Posts: 938member
    That is another thing that gets on my nerves - customers see a discount as an entitlement. For example all hardback fiction is 25% off, but a lot of customers still think they are paying too much. Our wholesale discount is only 45% - so we only make 20% of the cover price in gross profit, and then customers have the temerity to complain. One the other day accused us of "skimming". Ridiculous.
  • Reply 8 of 12
    artman @_@artman @_@ Posts: 2,546member
    Another thing. We "Booksellers" have a 30% discount on books and cafe stuff. Thing is with the pay they give me ($7:75 an hour...whoopie! I got my .25 raise!) on part-time...I still can't afford books. I get coffee and a magazine...



    There scheduling is horrible. You are given hours that boggle your mind and biological clock. One day your working 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM, the next 7:45 AM to 4:00 PM, the next 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM...6:00 PM to 10:30 PM... I've been in retail before (having to work weekends and nights is obvious), but the schedules are fvcked up there.



    With their paultry salary they expect you to do everything...sales, cashier, shelver and even bathroom duty? I saw one of the managers enter the men's room with gloves, cleanser and a toilet brush to clean some bums shit-blast in the restroom...gee, I sure wanna be a manager now. Ugh.



    It is pitiful that the book biz is in such a shambles. But 800 lb. gorillas like B&N (which also owns B. Dawlton and Game Stop! Yep, a video game store...used my discount there a lot... \ ), Borders and online Amazon don't help the little guys. I was happy to see TLA Video (indy video rental store) boot Blockbuster's ass out of town, though. But if you sell quality over quantity...you win out sometimes.
  • Reply 9 of 12
    rick1138rick1138 Posts: 938member
    True the pay really sucks. It is even better when teachers come in and complain about how little they get paid - and demand a discount.
  • Reply 10 of 12
    rick1138rick1138 Posts: 938member
    Oh yeah, and guess what was very high on our list of frequently stolen books? Ron Clark's The Essential 55.
  • Reply 11 of 12
    artman @_@artman @_@ Posts: 2,546member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Rick1138

    Oh yeah, and guess what was very high on our list of frequently stolen books? Ron Clark's The Essential 55.



    Hmmm. So far teachers have been a good customer. It's the Main Line/Society Hill/Rittenhouse Square upscale farts that whine and think they deserve red carpet treatment that I'd like to go postal on...



    ...and those assholes who wait until you enter in their $100.00 for a $15.69 book and then offer a quarter saying; "I've got change...take it."
  • Reply 12 of 12
    rick1138rick1138 Posts: 938member
    Exactly, another one of my pet peeves, when customers change the transcation in the middle of it, especially adding change to their end of the transaction as in your example. I feel like putting up a big sign saying " Look don't make change, just give me large denomination bills, I can make change much faster than you".
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