If you read my previous diaries you know that I work part-time at a local bookstore. Yep, it's one of those chain bookstore and you have been there and had coffee and purchased a calendar, paperback, DVD and magazine. You may stop by after the movies to pick up a CD of the soundtrack or to hang out with your friends and share a piece of carrot cake.
Maybe you come by on Saturdays with your kids and take turns with your spouse, one reading while the other browses. Perhaps you are one of the folks with a lot more time on your hands and so you occupy one of the overpadded chairs by the windows and read magazine after magazine. You may even know how to reshelve those magazines by now (thanks!)
There's a lot of individual sacrifice these days, but compound it by what's happening in your average retail store and the story is sad, indeed.
My company, my store finally had to make the decision it has been holding off for a year or so. But it did and we are all pretty sad about it. It's time for the CDs and the DVDs to go. The sales have been in the tank for awhile, but we were always proud of our deep and wide CD and DVD selection.
We are in a university town, an area with a huge music-loving community. We sell lots of folk, blues, rock, Broadway and tons of classical music. That is, we used to when people bought music CDs. The bottom has fallen out of that market in a way that promises never to return. It was clear last year, 30% of our sales used to be music and that 30% went away overnight. Let's not even talk about the shoplifters. What are they going to steal now?
First came the inventory reduction. Then the next inventory reduction, and then the next one. Now the company has decided that for the future most of our stores will carry just new releases and top sellers. There will be special promotions like Motown, the Putamayo display, some holiday music, some kids music. We will be like Target. One aisle of the best sellers and a few compilations, and the next Josh Groban and that's it. Never again will we bring in 200 titles of Christmas music and then have to ship 90% of it back. It's called an RPL and we don't have the people to pull product off the shelves, and then box it up to ship it back to the distributors anymore.
For the next few weeks, nearly every CD and DVD in the store will be 30% off, then it will go to 50% and then to 75% until it's all gone. No more will there be the wonderful DVD displays of live music concerts, yoga fitness, family movies, westerns, WWII action, monster movies, etc. It's cut bait time for movies as well, now that you can see all those old films on Netflix download, Yahoo Movies, or Hulu. There will be box sets because those sell as nice gifts, new releses, etc. But, again, it will be just like Target, one aisle, that's it.
No more proud Music Sellers who could find any obscure classical recording or remember that album from the 70's. No more DVD recommends for the teenager or the senior in your life. All self serve from now on.
Let's see what other sacrifices we've had over the past year or so:
No more live music in the cafe: Too expensive.
No more weekly storytime for preschoolers: No employee hours.
No more author book signings: No one to promote or manage them.
No more charitable giving: Not a dime or a donation for any community non-profit.
No more inventory manager: That was the first full-time manager to go.
No more merchandise manager: Nothing much left to merch these days.
No more 401K match, that's been gone for awhile.
No more overtime for holidays: Be thankful you have get scheduled for July 4th or Labor Day.
No more full-time employees: Our store has four managers left, meaning if one is sick, the others work double-shifts.
No more gift wrap: that went away after Christmas.
No more special orders: We can walk you to the dotcom computer and you can pay in advance with your credit card.
No more co-workers: Some days there are just three employees in the whole store, and that include the manager and the cafe.
No more lunch: If I'm scheduled for four hours I get a 10 minute break to scarf something down.
No more coffee in the breakroom: No one left to have coffee with in the breakroom
No more stepping out for lunch with a co-worker: the fridge is full of PBJ.
No more cheerful and fun store manager: She had to lay off two people last week. She had to work eight days in a row last week. She had to come in on her one day off to do a phone meeting.
And, last but not least,
No more the customer is always right. Sorry, but we are not paid enough anymore to take your wild and unreasonable complaints. The day is too long, the road is too rough for us to try and bend over backwards for you when you complain about the out-of-print book, that you have to wait in line at the cash register, that I can't just give you the coupon discount, that we have to open later and close earlier or you just want to take your bad day out on us. Our patience is gone.