This job is stressful!!
Pros
Benefits, a few interesting people, great discounts...All in all it's not the worst job I've ever had. Some of my managers have been great, and I have made a ton of great friends. Christmas bonuses are nice.
Cons
Everyday I go to work there is a new rule. Many of the people who work in corporate worked their way up from the bottom, have been there for 20+ years, but haven't worked in an actual store since the 70's. They seem completely out of touch with how the stores run today. As a result of recent economic decline, and the advent of the e-reader, it has become neccessary for HPB to implement new programs to try to keep up with the market's changing demands. In the midst of re-training employees to use these new programs, (which takes extra time) HPB has also been slowly cutting back on staffing levels. This makes it literally impossible to complete the many different tasks that are assigned. I often find that I am simply unable to offer an excellent level of customer service because I am constantly spread so thin. The corporate office keeps adding more work for the booksellers, and taking away employees. I have worked here for years, and am sad to say that this used to ba a good company to work for, and maybe it will be again someday, but for now the book biz just sucks.
