2008 to 2009 What Changed At My Bookstore Job

I love books and I love toys. Maybe that is why the majority of my retail jobs have consisted of one or the other (in the case of Borders most recent they sell some toys too!). I worked at Barnes & Noble for 4 yrs, then another one for 7 months. Follow by Borders for just over 2 yrs, 1 month. Add that up to being almost 7 yrs of just books. Then Legoland and Lego Store combined equal to another 2.5yrs AND Toys International added with them (3 months) comes up to almost 3 yrs in toys. Clothing was just kids and it was about 5 months. There ya go.

Point being cause there is one I loved my present job at Borders BEST in 2008 and this is why:

First of all I had just gotten hired on from the kiosk and everyone seemed to like me. After a few weeks of using the register, the headphones and meeting all the people who worked there I began to love the store. Sure there was this one manager noone liked (who left later on) but I made friends a lot. I thought everyone liked me too. I had few problems with customers, got at least 2 to 3 days if not more per week and had fun.

I loved the headphones to the point my last few months of that part of the job I spent those writing the stuff said down in a journal. I have it still somewhere it was FUN. The co-workers were funny, and I liked most people there I still had few problems.

Plus I was good at my job. I sold the coffee beans on Fridays, I got lots of donations for the various ones, and my borders rewards numbers only fell once below the required line. I loved my job what could I say?

Even when I had to get up early, it was fun. Sure I eventually took on Childrens Place my second month there. But for some reason I never clicked with my manager. And so when the calendar kiosk opened up in Sept 2008 I was more than happy to go to it.

Then I had problems with my lead cause we never fully got along at the store and now he was above me. Even if he was 10 yrs younger then me he was my lead and I respected him.

Well after my time at the kiosk second year was very much not as great as the first I hoped to go back to the store back where I loved it. But in 2009 Borders wasnt doing so well and my manager didnt like me still enough to give me hours. So in 2009 I didnt work at the store anymore not really.

Those who did work didnt work much, the store was dropped to only a few employees and a lot of my friends had to leave. With few hours for those part time people (only about 2 or 3 were full time who werent supervisors or managers) and sometimes none my friends were going away. Even leaving cause of the way they treated us who they didnt like with no hours at all.

I did RPL's and hoped for one day to be back on register. I never really learned customer service fully but learned more on the floor then I had on register. They never trained me. But when they cut back those who had the training was everyone and I was left out.

So when the kiosk number 3 came up, I did it for the hours I didnt have much of all year long. I also vowed to never come back again. My company hates me. I havent worked there at all since January 27th 2010.

So from 2008 to 2009 my store that I once loved went down the drain. I love retail sometimes, and sometimes I dont. But what I hate is the people and those who are above me dont like me enough to give me hours when I know I do deserve them much more that some others because of experience. Come on almost 10 yrs of retail why doesnt this count at all?

Till next time retail land I shall write again!