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On Monday, February 12th, Barnes & Noble fired a number of employees.
From CNBC:
Barnes & Noble is trimming its staff, laying off lead cashiers, digital leads and other experienced workers in a company-wide clearing, CNBC has learned from sources familiar with the matter.
The news came abruptly for many workers who showed up Monday morning at various Barnes & Noble locations to be notified that they no longer had a job, the people said. The number of affected workers couldn't immediately be determined. As of April 29 of last year, Barnes & Noble employed about 26,000 people.
"[Barnes & Noble] has been reviewing all aspects of the business, including our labor model," a spokeswoman told CNBC about the layoffs. "Given our sales decline this holiday, we're adjusting staffing so that it meets the needs of our existing business and our customers. As the business improves, we'll adjust accordingly."
From The Digital Reader:
The initial report said B&N had fired "lead cashiers, digital leads, and other experienced workers", but what that report missed - and why this was worth bringing up a day later - was that B&N also fired nearly all of its receiving managers in what current and ex-employees are calling Bloody Monday.
[...] When B&N fires a digital sales lead, it means they'll sell fewer Nooks. This is no big deal given how B&N's digital revenues have fallen since 2013. When B&N fires a head cashier, it means you're in for longer waits at the register.
But when B&N fires its receiving managers, it means that B&N won't have the merchandise to sell you because the person who was responsible for making sure shelves get stocked does not work there any more.
Previously: Barnes & Noble Reports Holiday Revenues Down
Barnes & Noble Pivots to Books
(Score: 1) by sonamchauhan on Friday February 16 2018, @12:39PM
Physical bookstores are not innovating enough to compete with Amazon and subsidiaries (Audible, The Book Depository, etc). I worry sometimes - I like wandering in secondhand bookshops, and don't like how few there are left. I speak to people working in bookstores and there's really nothing planned, except for spinning up a website.
That won't work.
Amazon started with books because books are the ultimate fungible commodity. Each has an ISBN (instantly identifiable), each is equivalent to the other (unlike, say, fruit), there's little scope for fakes or adulteration (unlike jewellery), and the price points are right for moving significant volumes at low-risk. Selling on the web also adds value: a book is freeze-dried information anyway, so it's a natural fit for meta-information like reviews and recommendations. Putting a massive catalog online does not cost much in inventory, but it taps into a long, fat tail of all sorts of interests -- from game developers, to philosophers, to philosophical game developers -- all willing to wait a few days after purchase (or a few seconds, if using Kindle).
Physical bookstores must compete in cyberspace. However, cloning Amazon's infrastructure is the wrong approach. Instead, they must blend physical and virtual presence, so customers still find value in a physical store.
One way to do this is by turning stores into a federated hybrid marketplace.
Imagine this:
I walk into a book store. There's a book and a DVD box set tucked under my arm -- I bought these weeks or months ago and want to get rid of them. I walk up to an automated kiosk (in a low-tech scenario, I go to the cashier). It's something that resembles a reverse vending machine. and I scan my items. This machine has me quickly flip pages in my book to check its condition. It also has me insert the DVDs into a reader slot. Then it robot-wraps the products (shrink wrap, or cardboard mailer) and slots them into inventory. I walk away with a few dollars instantly available in my account. I'll be credited more 'on consignment', when the items sell.
I turn into the main store and walk the aisles. A book interests me in the Business section. I start browsing. I whip out my mobile and an app recognises the book, providing recommendations and reviews. A 'What's Related' gallery pops up related books. These are from the bookseller's extended catalog and the catalog of other booksellers this bookseller federates with. Now a different book has caught my fancy. This seems to cover the topic better. It has better, more passionate reviews. And there's a really good deal on a second-hand copy somebody deposited five minutes ago on the other side of the continent. Satisfied, I place the order. There's a bit of automated-haggling as my app negotiates the price range set by the seller, and with stores on both side of the continent. A couple of seconds, and the transaction closes successfully. My preferences request delivery to this store. I come here on weekends anyway; I'll pick it up when I'm in next, sit down on the sofa and have a read.
The cashier gives me a friendly wave. He saw the transaction go through -- I've known him a few years and my browse/buy settings are open to him. He'll probably be handing me the parcel next week (if I'm in during business hours; otherwise, it'll be the vending dispenser). We chat a bit -- turns out he's interested in the same topic. As I chat, I notice a pencil loop [amazon.com]. That'd be great for the notebook I always carry around. I purchase it and affix it to my notebook.
It's been a good day. I quite enjoyed that.