Half Price Books reviews

Low pay for the work, strange direction from upper management. Corporate is racing to strip out all of the interesting responsibilities of the job in order to cope with their inability to attract and train new permanent employees. At the same time, they seem bound and determined to drive out all current employees - nearly every week brings with it a new scheme for squeezing some marginal amount of additional productivity out of the physical stores, always apparently cooked up by people who have never actually seen how the stores function. These generally needlessly complicate existing procedures, and actually increase the amount of tasks expected of employees already stretched absurdly thin by understaffing. In short, the current, inconsistent direction of the company seems obviously unsustainable. Additionally, I witnessed some truly despicable treatment of my store manager in what I could only guess was some kind of petty un-favoritism. The abrupt turnaround in how a new store manager was treated confirmed my suspicion, and also my decision to walk away from the job I'd previously enjoyed.

Extremely low pay, mediocre benefits, cutthroat co-workers (who will do anything to move up). Be prepared for some lying, cheating, back-stabbing, and excessive gossiping. There are some bitter long-time employees who have been bypassed for promotions who will make your life miserable if they can. Store manager spent far too much time in his office. Crowded and somewhat dusty/dirty work environment. Physically demanding (which can be a Pro or a Con, depending on your perspective) -- I lost 20 pounds in my first five months at HPB, due to the bending, stretching, moving books, moving carts, and moving boxes.