What's It Like to Work at Barnes and Noble
Good job
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The most useful review selected by Indeed
The work was good but the pay was pretty low and there usually weren't enough hours to go around for everyone. I miss working around books all the time.
Retail selling books
Bookseller (Current Employee) - USA - November 19, 2021
If you enjoy books this is a good job. If you dislike people, it is retail so you probably will not enjoy the job. Working retail also means working weekends.
Great place to work, just not great pay
The culture and environment are fantastic and everyone does a great job making you feel welcome. Upper management isn't constantly breathing down your neck. Really the only negative is lack of competitive pay, which DOES help the culture because then the people who are there actually want to be there. Holiday seasons cause long hours and lots of weekend shifts as expected in retail
Pros
Environment, upper management, good benefits
Cons
Lower pay than most retail, retail environment is hectic
Management is great, pay not so much.
I absolutely loved working at Barnes & Noble. The management at my store was amazing and my coworkers were all great. The work was fun, most of the customers were easy to please, it was a great place to thrive. The pay and benefits could be better. Other than that I loved it.
Pros
Occasional freebies, great work atmosphere, positive coworkers
Bad pay. No benefits, bad district and corporate leaders
Horrid leadership from the top down. Low pay., and incentives, lack of benefits. Required to do cafe and make Starbuck products for less pay than one would make at a real Starbucks.
Cons
Bad pay, horrid district and corporate management. No benefits
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Don't even bother
This place is the dead end you reach that makes you question your life choices. And kill your love of books stone dead. Because you won't be selling books, just memberships.
A Good Retail Job
The hours are flexible, job tasks are straight to the point, and the people were friendly. Unfortunately, the pay was minimum wage. The days can get a little boring but it's very easy.
Pros
Flexibility, discounts, coworkers.
Cons
Little pay, short breaks, can get a little boring.
Good part-time
Very fun atmosphere with people who enjoy going to work. Managers are always helpful and care for your well-being. I'm usually stress-free and they are very accommodating when you need time off.
Fun and exciting place to work.
This is an amazing place to work for retail. The pay is a little low compared to other places, but being around books and people who love books and seeing the new releases is awesome.
Pros
flexible schedule, fun environment
Cons
low pay, grumpy customers
Fun environment, while it lasted
Fun environment, while it lasted. Coworkers were amazing and made the job incredibly fulfilling. Unfortunately these stores are becoming less and less frequent.
Fun and interesting job with bad pay
An enjoyable job that is great for people interested in learning more about whatever media form you desire. The coworkers were great and made it not a slog on slow days. Only downside is lack of benefits and bad pay.
Fun, confusing, and fun.
On a typical day, there are different tasks that need to be done. Different people have their different opinions of the store. I had fun. Still, have fun. Though it can get boring depending on the station I'm at. But the staff is very nice.
Great work space!
I love working at Barnes and Noble! The people are amazing and helpful. It's a low stress job and pays okay. The discount is amazing especially if you are a reader!
Pros
Great discounts, fun job
Ever changing environment
Ever changing environment due to products/seasons Hard work for low pay and no benefits Diverse staff Decent employee discounts Relatively flexible schedule
Fun and relaxing workplace with great culture!
I love working at Barnes & Noble. We get great discounts, my experience with management has been excellent, and it has been the first job I've had where I feel able to unwind at work rather than be stressed out.
Pros
Good discounts, great culture, good breaks
good management
the management is very understanding and offers a flexible schedule with good work/home balance. coworkers are friendly and easy to work with, and also understanding
Very stressful seasonal job
Customers are often difficult, management practices are confusing. Managers will throw you under the bus to please a customer, even if you are following company policy. I was really good with customers, so they would keep me on the register until the very end of the night and only gave me 15 minutes to count out my drawer and would get impatient if I had any issues. Managers also are required for all returns etc, so if you are unlucky enough to get a bunch of returns , managers get really impatient with you, even though it's the corporate policy that is inconveniencing them. Employee morale is very low during Christmas season.
Pros
Employee discount, working around books, author events
Cons
Managers required for almost all things like returns and they disappear frequently.
Not a good place to work unless you don't care about earning a decent wage
Not only do they pay the bare minimum, they are severely understaffed. The barista is usually on their own the whole day unless there is a huge rush. And by huge, I mean huge. They also aren't allowed rip jars because it's "soliciting for tips" even though other cafes in the area are allowed to have them, leading us to getting next to nothing in tips.The management is also horrible and gets protected by corporate if they do anything wrong. They also preach how much they appreciate us but then shame us when we don't get enough memberships or if the store is dusty. We aren't even given time to dust and straighten up because they tell us to prioritize customers and stop doing projects even if they need to be done, so the store ends up looking like a mess. Additionally, while other store may allow their workers to wear pins on their lanyards and have personalized name tags, we were not allowed to have that. They also schedule insane work weeks where you work every day but aren't allowed to get over 30 hours a week, so you get 4 hour days. It's exhausting. They aren't even willing to hire full time people or give raises, even if you ask for one three years after you started. Even so, they expect us to be grateful if they ask us to pick up a shift or do extra tasks that are outside of our pay grade. I was one the only person on the floor who had to work the register and run between there and the back room to find books for custom. If you really want to be a barista or afford books, work somewhere else that pays a decent wage. Other places in the area pay better and their baristas -
Pros
Employee discount, coworkers
Cons
Little to no benefits, management, understaffed, low pay
Decent job if your store is properly staffed
This job is perfect for someone who wants a lot of hours, but if you go to college or high school I would suggest looking for another place to work at. Keep in mind that there will be shifts where you will have to multi-task handling the cash register/taking orders, making drinks, and preparing food all by yourself. If your store is understaffed there is a possibility of your schedule not being what you asked for and working alone is, unfortunately, what you'll have to get used to. Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself, quit if you need to, and please remember: it's just coffee. Booksellers and baristas are wonderful people, I have met so many great people working here, but I left because of not getting promoted/some management was not that great and severe understaffing issues.
Pros
Free drink during your shift, 40% off most of the store, 30 min break plus 15 on some cases
Cons
Understaffed team, closing/working alone in general, too many hours you didn't request, closing the day of and opening the next day
What's It Like to Work at Barnes and Noble
Source: https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Barnes-&-Noble/reviews