Day Six
First I want to point out that everything I say here is just opinion and conjecture. I am just a bookseller. I do not have access to the books at my store (in fact right now we’ve been cut off from the Borders employee information site as well.) I’m not a business major and don’t have a long history of business experience. I read a lot, and try to pay attention and that’s where most of my opinion comes from.
Also, in case it’s not clear, I know that it makes full business sense for Borders to have closed our store if it didn’t perform how it needed to to be a valuable asset to the company. I WISH the city could have stepped in. I WISH Borders had been able to stay perfectly in step with the changing market. I WISH people had just bought more. I WISH people could afford to buy more.
But at this point thing are already set and all that’s left is to see it play out.
So if you’re thinking of going to a Borders sale, let me outline a few things you need to know.
1. We’ve pretty much adjusted now. Of course we’re also mostly exhausted, overwhelmed with the sheer amount of people in the store and things to clean up. We’re a little slap happy, actually, enough so that I found myself organizing a “Casual Friday-pajama edition” today.
2. We still appreciate your expressions of disappointment at our store closing. We will continue to do so, but pouting faces and whining isn’t the best way to communicate that. Now, if you’d like to talk to Borders directly about your disappointment the number is 800-770-7811. We appreciate that too.
3. Closing stores are on a first come first serve basis. We can’t hold anything for you. We can’t special order anything for you. If you call and ask if we have something:
4. Our inventory system has put all books down to 0 copies on hand, so we have to physically check the shelves for the book you’re looking for. Honestly we don’t always have time. Plus:
5. We’ve pretty much given up alphabetizing by this point. Our shelves are not pretty to look at (neither are the stores, with gaudy signs all over the place, dripping from the shelves, ceiling and at this point I’m surprised we’re not wearing some sort of signage hats. It’s taking all we have to get the books on the shelves from being left on the floor, chairs, other shelves and even under fixtures.
6. This is why we took away the cafe chairs. We can’t keep up with the sheer number of people coming into the store. It was eliminate loitering space and hiding spaces for products or go crazy.
7. Yes, we are really, really closing. This is not a trick to get people to spend more. We get this question 20-50 times a day and combined with the whole being tired thing we’re starting to come up with some slap-happy answers. Like “No we’re just all going on vacation at once and taking the books with us.”
8. And no, we’re not being relocated. Personnel cuts are a big part of Borders cut backs as well. A lot of people are assuming we’re being relocated, but most other stores are already at capacity, and the bankruptcy came with a hiring freeze. Honestly most of us are beginning to see other prospects, and beginning to really realize that Borders isn’t the end of the line.
9. Yes we really, really do have to mark through the UPC code, even on your graphic novels and gifts. Perhaps it’s not best to buy collectibles or presents that you want to use to impress people at a close out sale. (However, we are required to put a line through the UPC on the back NOT cross out the cover or anything else.)
10. Those deeper discounts you keep asking for? They come when people stop buying at the 20% off that the books are current at. Which doesn’t look likely the way people are buying. We don’t control the pricing and can’t give you buddy pricing or employee pricing (hah! We don’t get that either anymore) or tip you off to the next phase. Our particular liquidator is a real nice guy, but he knows better than to tell us the plan. Because it is still about making money.
“No we’re just all going on vacation at once and taking the books with us.”
snicker
Customer care! I have no love for them, they passed the buck to us so many times it’s not funny. People have asked where and to whom they should complain, I’ll pass this on.
I don’t expect it to get anything done, but people certainly should have a chance to show their support if a store they love is closing.
Michelle, thank you for these posts. I truly feel for all the Borders’ employees having not only their jobs but their hearts ripped out. I posted a link to your blog (plus the LiveJournal site where employees are posting) at the book discussion site, BookBalloon.
Our city’s downtown Borders closed before this bankruptcy mess, sometime before Christmas. It had all the insanity you describe, but the books were 40% off. Signs on every surface, wall, and ceiling shouted that there would be no further discounts. Yet I heard those poor employees being constantly asked when the books would get further discounted. I found myself wincing.
I wish you and all your fellow employees the best once this part comes to an end.
Great posts, thank you for sharing all of this with us.
I was in college in Ann Arbor when the original indie Borders was still truly great, but I still shop at my local Borders today too (the ones closing in my state are not my locals to office or home). You nail a lot of the problems in your posts, though – for the last 2 years or so, stock hasn’t been great. I’d learn about a book that I wanted (even a new hardcover, though not a Steig Larsson grade of popularity one) and none of the 3 Borders by home or office would have it. Either never ordered, or the 1 copy had already been sold. B&N would have it. Or I’d have to order it (even if from Borders, it isn’t benefiting a local store).
Last week I went into the store closest to home to buy one paperback and three magazines – and they pushed the BR+ card on me. WHY would I buy that? Seriously – why spend money on a discount card (when I already have the old free one)? Why buy a discount card from a troubled company? Context – I’ve never bought the B&N card or the Amazon Prime shipping either – I’ll just take my chances because I can’t guarantee that my investment in the card will be offset by my savings and I’m anal-retentive like that.
It’s sad. I’m looking for a few new cookbooks, and I’ll check my local Borders. But if they don’t have them….
Exactly. Borders worked hard to brand themselves as a in-the-flesh bookstore. Not having books in stock is killer. If your customers have to go online to get the books they want from you they will just go to the less expensive, better branded place.
I saw your blog link in Shelf Awareness today. I have to say I really feel for you. I have very strong opinions about what’s going on thanks to being a laid off Borders (Waldens) employee myself back when they were systematically closing each Waldens. Our store did well, in fact had steadily increased sales over the three years I was there. This was back in the day when all Borders offered was a pay discount card. The changes started back then and it’s sad that it’s come to this point. It’s also sad that peoples memories seem to be so short considering we went from being encouraged to hand sell and had a decent discount rate on the $10 card that basically earned itself out if you bought $50 of merch when you signed up since you automatically earned a $10 coupon to letting the books slide from being the main focus.
I think a lot of it was short sighted and quick profits driven when more long term focused goals like cultivating a reputation for having a staff of people in each store that love the product would have been a better move.
It’s a tough call because of course we want to say a better environment would have helped, but in this economy people are trained to not buy unless they think it’s a deal. Like I asked my co-workers, when it comes to the pressure to sell membership cards and up sell do you blame corporate, or the customers who only respond when you beat them over the head with a hard sell pitch? Nothing is an absolute reason for a fail, at best it’s just all contributing factors.
Do you get people coming in asking if you’re hiring? I worked for a toy store chain that went out of business, and it was amazing how many people would walk in and ask for an employment application despite the huge signs and empty shelves.
We do. Even after the signs went up saying “going out of business” we had people coming and asking if we were hiring to be the people on the street waving GOOB signs.
I also work at a closing store, in New Jersey. I have to say I’m finding myself appalled at the behavior of the majority of our customers. I didn’t that the act of putting up some “Closing Store” signs turns ordinary shoppers into absolute pigs who feel justified leaving piles of books all over the store, knocking books onto the fllor (and then ignoring the mess they just made), sticking books they decided they didn’t want into any book-sized crevice they can find, and generally being slovenly. They do these things right in front of store employees – and some of them then expect you ti help them find a book!!
The biggest surprise was seeing customers casually sitting in those easy chairs on the day we began our closing sale, seemingly oblivious to the chaos going on all around them, while the staffers were still trying to adjust to the shock of seeing their workplace (and jobs) implode around them. Needless to say, we removed those chair just as soon as we possibly could.