Is Half Price Books a good company to work for?

Half Price Books has an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5, based on over 759 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months. 70% of employees would recommend working at Half Price Books to a friend and 55% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Half Price Books have been left by employees working as Cashier , Assistant Manager and Shift Leader .

Does Half Price Books pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Half Price Books employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Half Price Books. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Half Price Books?

70% of Half Price Books employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Half Price Books 3.7 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.7 for culture and values and 3.2 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Half Price Books?

Bookseller (313) , Shift Leader (43) , Book Seller (17) , Assistant Manager (14) , Book Seller I (14) , Sales Associate (14) , Cashier (10) , Store Manager (9) , Bookseller II (8) , Bookseller and Cashier (8) , Part Time Book Seller (8) , Shift Lead (7) , Customer Service Representative (6) , Shift Leader/Manager (5) , Assistant Store Manager (4)

What are the pros of working at Half Price Books according to real employee reviews?

"Great benefits and extras." ((in 96 reviews)); "This seems to be a running theme in the majority of these reviews: great coworkers." ((in 62 reviews)); "The people I worked with were great and I made some lifelong friends." ((in 51 reviews)); "Quarterly bonuses and other bonuses" ((in 24 reviews)); "for retail, good insurance & PTO/sick plans" ((in 18 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Half Price Books according to real employee reviews?

"As always in retail the pay is low but it''s made up for in benefits." ((in 93 reviews)); "Lots of micromanagement, poor management, and lack of/poor communication." ((in 60 reviews)); "Poor Upper Management Leadership experiences" ((in 28 reviews)); "While store management receives training just as the booksellers do, it doesn't always seem to be consistent or uniform, and some of the managers have been there so long that they may not have received any kind of "management" training at all." ((in 28 reviews)); "Raises are minimal." ((in 14 reviews))

What are employees saying about Half Price Books layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Half Price Books layoffs and their outlook for job security at Half Price Books in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Half Price Books locations?

Dallas , Austin , Houston , San Antonio , Columbus , Louisville , Cincinnati , Seattle , Madison , Fort Worth , Chicago , Indianapolis , Decatur , Niles , Oklahoma City , Tacoma , Lexington-Fayette , Plano , Kansas City , Minneapolis , Cleveland , Dublin , Pittsburgh , Saint Louis , Appleton , Milwaukee , Florence , Corpus Christi , Pearland , Saint Paul

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Half Price Books

Half Price Books reviews

3.7

70% would recommend to a friend

(718 total reviews)

Sharon Anderson Wright

64% approve of CEO

55% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.9

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Culture & values

3.7

Work/Life balance

3.6

Compensation and benefits

3.2

Career opportunities

3.1

Senior management

Half Price Books has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 718 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Half Price Books employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

718 reviews

3.0

Dec 14, 2014

Good co workers, ok management, poor pay rate

Bookseller

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

co workers- great people discount profit sharing great training flexible scheduling

Cons

Low start pay rate little accountability for shift leads

3.0

Jun 8, 2014

Great atmosphere! Working retail sucks, generally poor management.

Bookseller, assistant manager, manager, inventory manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Merchandise discount and first to see what comes in. Pleasant atmosphere. Usually decent staff if management hires correctly. Meet some nice customers. I've held all positions and bookseller is the less stressful and maybe the best, except for the low pay. They will continue to survive in the bookstore environment because all stores sell all merchandise online.

Cons

Lots. Was with the company for many years until our store closed. Promotion only comes from within, so management has risen through the ranks. If you do become a manager, it is most likely because of seniority, which doesn't usually lead to the best managers. Training is short and sweet, for all positions. Pay is low, starting at $8-$9 per hour with yearly small increases. Benefits are great, which is why people are drawn in. Healthcare, great 401K. Generous vacation and sick time, abused by those who are abusers. The atmosphere tends to bring out drama with coworkers, due to being a very lax and casual environment. The old adage, 20% of the people do 80% of the work, is a given in this environment. The stores have long hours, with varying shifts. Be ready to work odd days, hours, and schedules. And remember, there are only 2 holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and everyone is usually required to work all shifts. Can be physically and mentally a bit difficult. Life is much better away from this company. Sorry!

4.0

Jul 19, 2013

so lively and friendly that you forget you're doing work.

Bookseller

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

i love that the store I worked at had a little deli that was a local german business, story time on sundays, constant encouragement for kids to get into reading, and they only hire interesting and good people from my experience

Cons

They are becoming more cookie-cutter, selling out, and making everything so much more corporate, and i am afraid they will lose the very heart of what made them the successful company that they are today....

Viewing 223 - 225 of 718 Reviews

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Jobs at Half Price Books