Last week it was announced that Borders Group Inc was folding. Many people did not realize but Waldenbooks was owned by them. With the end of a business all stores must close, and that is where it gets hard.
I worked for our local Waldenbooks (store #1055) for several years. Years in which so much took place. The closing has been hard for me - yes, I have cried about it, in fact I choke up now. Maybe it seems odd or over dramatic but I really am feeling a loss.
To start, I had agoraphobia that started with my panic disorder in late 2001. As you may have guessed, with that comes great bills but since I could not work, I had no money. So finally after enough meds built up in my system I started to work at a store in the mall. I ended up working so little hours there that I made maybe $75 in two weeks. So I took another job for the holidays working at Waldenbooks which was right next to the store I already was working in. I generally worked out in the Kiosk during this time for them selling for Day by Day Calendars (yep another one I bet you didn't know Border's had). By the beginning of January my time was up and I was let go. Turns out the store I was working in was closing and would be out by the end of January.
I was lucky that one of the regular employees was leaving to fight the war on terrorism and they needed a new person to take his place. So two weeks after I was let go, I was rehired.
I was still part time but made in one week what I was getting in two at the previous store. Plus, I got a discount on books! Great for a nerdy girl like me.
I'm pretty sure at first my new job was at risk. I was very shy and hated approaching customers because I didn't really know many of the authors they were looking for. One man asked where John Sanford was and I must have had a deer in headlights look because the Assistant Manger, Sandi, told me Mystery. So I took the gentleman over to the mystery section. Honestly, when i had to ask what I could help people find, in my head I would be wishing them to say nothing, they didn't need help, they knew where it was, etc.
There were monthly reviews when I started and it was one of my areas to improve upon. I must have started to hold in that fear because I remember while shelving books the Manager, Annette came out and said since I had been trying harder that I could have the copy of an advanced reader that came in. I can not remember exactly which book it was but it was from The Anita Blake series by Laurell K Hamilton. (A Vampire Book from before Twilight made them sparkle).
Eventually I got more comfortable, read the magazine the came in telling of authors and up coming releases, hours of looking up and shelving books, etc that I felt confidant that I knew the who, what, when, and where of books and authors. My next hurtle was the Preferred Reader card.
Remember those? $10.00 a year saved you 10% each time and helped you accrue points that would then turn into $5.00 coupons. They really did pay for themselves if you were an avid reader / customer. I would get about 3 of those coupons a year and I could not use the card and my employee discount. Well for some reason I could not get people to buy them. I wasn't confident in the sales pitch and would often OVERsell it until it didn't get sold. It also took a while before I got the hang of up selling (adding that 1 more item).
I am very lucky that I got the hang of it and that I had bosses that were there to help and teach me.
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