Many front line managers got a mass email with news about spring rush as only the robot at corporate PD can write. New directive states all stores will operate seven days a week in the lead up to rush (full staffing and hours) with a 'bonus' that triple the number of temps should be hired on average with at least half of them dedicated to eFollett orders. Shifts must be planned to include these staff members in order to fulfill efollett orders both before open and after close of business. Salaried employees are expected to work 50 hours a week, part time non-exempt 35 and temporary 32 hours. All temps are to receive 8 hours minimum training to be completed by December 20th. Oh, and those returns held off on are now expected to be completed within a week's time. Other than the fact that only 50 hours would be a blessing during rush, where did they get their stuff, and can we all have some? Stores with one employee being informed they need 17 staff members, stores larger than that being told they need 38 or more new staff members. We should be dancing in the streets, right?
24 replies (most recent on top)
Next thing coming 8 taking away bonuses from store managers. Then it won't matter what the expenses will be.
Uh oh. I hope Follett has taken care of this "known issue"
All transactions from each store would need to pay sales taxes to the City,State and Municipality where the purchasing student resides to stay in good graces with the IRS and taxing authorities?
Correct?
Only one thing could go wrong. Stores not willing to send inventory for there school to another school with no financial incentive (no sales benefit or expense reimbursement).
900 mini distribution centers. What could possibly go wrong? Lol.
Desperation.
Smell that, thats the smell of desperation!!!
So glad I got out.
!
Smell that, thats the smell of desperation!!!
So glad I got out.
!
Oh, and none of this is optional. Campus closed and locked up on Weekends? Sorry, make that not the case, or else.
Follett has never competed on price. Their answers to efficient low cost providers like Amazon and Chegg is COPAR/LCF which actually raises the retail price of the book, and of course the INCLUDED program. Add books to the students tuition and charge a premium. Of course they are going to have more flash sales to keep revenue afloat while text decline. Financial aid lock in is a huge benefit to Follett and eliminates the need to complete with other efficient retailers. The government needs to allow the students options to find the lowest cost options for text when using financial aid.
You're not going to get those students back.
Follett family needs to get a clue. We need to compete on price. If our prices are too high, the students won't buy. Focus on ways to be competitive on prices.
PRICES ARE TOO HIGH. END OF STORY FOLLETT. CLOSE THE DOOR. THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE.
The sales are not as expected. I got an email from my Specialist a month ago asking me to help make sense of a big sales decline. They need to start making cuts in this group, they are not holding up to their end of the bargain. The upgrade was massive, yet, the sales are not.
Students in my store won't order from efollett. They say it sucks.
Nothing like on the job learning for the senior decision makers. Us stores bear the brunt of these decisions and then subsequent reversals. eFollett results must be poor so they are trying to improve fulfillment/sales to justify the upgrade cost. Please learn, zero quantity is our friend when we need the title on OUR campus to serve OUR student.
Da Troof returns to wish you suckers lots of luck with this initiative.
I don't think any of these people making decisions have worked in a bookstore. We need the room so it's good to get the returns out we will need the space with triple the temps working, the help is appreciated. The stores will continue to be mini-warehouses that's understood from the email. Expecting to send shipments from the store still needs to meet the students needs here first and will still have to show zero inventory from if we are not doing that. So as long as the appropriate inventory is sent out to the specific stores it shouldn't interfere with individual stores service to their students. We can only hope.
Sounds like chaos to me.
wholesale knowledge is one thing to be worried about. Not having any shipping materials left over from rush due to incessant complaints about the state of the shipping and receiving area looking like a mess, well, that's something else entirely!
Great job Greg T. "Oh, and those returns held off on are now expected to be completed within a week's time." Running out of cash flow. Now we are back to old leadership processes. Maybe you shouldn't have been so quick to get rid of all that wholesale knowledge.
I believe they are violating labor laws by specifying the number of hours that salaried employees must work. If you mandate the number of hours worked, you must pay hourly including overtime.
Merry Christmas from Chicagoland! If you're salaried you only have to work 50 hours. There's 15 hours back in my week. Phew! What a relief. Thanks ML! Maybe I can get little Tim the brace he's been whining about since last November. Bless us everyone!
Excuse the vulgarity pkease but Paul D. can suckered my ass. I can't wait to see all this fail. Dumb f***s.