Our small, independent college bookstore has been acquired by Follett. What can Sales Associates expect? Do you stock trade books? Are there quotas for selling merchandise, etc? Should we stay or collect unemployment? Any info or opinions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.
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Welcome aboard the happy train. HAPPY.....CUZ WE'RE HAPPY. Sing along...oh and don't forget to dance.
Run like hell!
Get out as fast as you can. There is no future at Follett. In general, retail bookstores are in a secular decline from online competitors and changes in the education system. ML does not know retail nor the educational market. ML new hire cronies from failing kmart/sears are quickly expediting the demise of follett.
LMAO
Just remember, there's a right way to do things, a wrong way to do things and the Follett Way. The Follett Way is the wrong way, but slower.
Please disregard that post. It appears to have been misguided attempt at soothing you rather than informing you.
Honestly, you have to pay close attention to processes and procedures. Your regional manager is crucial here. You are working for her/him. The RM is your link to Follett. That being said, if someone in HQ seems short or unhelpful, it is up to you to find the answers you need. Stay issue focused and don't stop asking until you have what you need.
If something seems unfair or not right, keep track of it. As those things pile up, you know its time to leave. These issues will not be resolved. No one will come to your aid. If they're small, you'll continue to work. If they're big, don't discount your impression and move on.
Finally, your customer is the university community. Continue to serve them. They are your most important stakeholder. If you take care of them, when the time comes, they'll take care of you. Follett be damned.
Are the people at your university afraid of reading? It wouldn't take much digging to discover something's not right. I can't believe they went with Follett.
Just see how it goes, many acquisitions went well, many more went south, expect the change and be ready to embrace it. Take a check point in 3 to 6 months and see where you stand. Do not focus on negative stuff you see on this board, while most of it is accurate, your experience will be unique and there is a layer of people who still enjoy working here. Take Follett as a learning experience, it's likely you'll deal with different merchandise, you'll learn about different business processes and you'll see how things are done the "Follett Way" (whatever that means, it'll be new and a learning opportunity as you may learn how NOT to do things). So, sit tight, do the best job possible and then have a heart to heart with yourself and make the decision... Hope this helps a bit...
They are going to expect you to know all their systems and you'll wait for support to contact you back so whatever is the issue is usually has to wait . The direction from above is like the law no discussions allowed, even if doesn't work for you, and many times it doesn't make any sense and changes do happen quite often. And you'll need to read all the documentation, emails and watch the videos and still get your work done. Any shrink comes out of the store's sales. And they do come up with some silly things sometimes to sell certain items they are pushing. Most of the people I have meet that work for the company, which isn't that many, are not very pleasant.
Most of the store managers suck. You will receive no training but will be expected to know everything. Everything has to be done the follett way, which usually makes no sense and will be changed in a week. What's right today is wrong tomorrow. That's how it was when they took over our store. If you have the opportunity to get out, do it! They will make your life hell. Our store used to be a fun place to work.
Unless you have an excellent opportunity somewhere else, you should give Follett a try. Although there is a lot of negativity on this board, there are still many excellent people working at Follett and the positions are interesting. Most complaints are directed at the senior most management which is predominantly from kmart/sears over the past 1.5 years.
As a sales associate, I would ride out the changeover. There will probably be plenty of hours. However, if you are used to operating in relative freedom, you may want to look for other work.
they are cutting trade in most stores
Get out while you can
You will get planorgram for everything from supplies to trade.
Store manager will get a budget