Any premeds work in a bookstore before?

[funshine]

Sorry I know it's not really pre-allo related, but I thought there'd be more ppl in this forum to answer my question. Anyone done this? I know there's actual work involved like working the register and putting books back on the shelves over and over again, but it seems like a pretty low-stress job, right?

I'm currently deciding whether to apply to Barnes&Noble or Books-a-Million. B&N is like 15 minutes further from my house than Books-a-Million, but honestly, I've only been to Books-Million three times whereas I make trips to B&N almost every week.

What do you think? Anyone have a bad experience working in a bookstore? I think B&N employees get a 30% discount (I wonder if it includes CDs?) but I have no idea what the perks are of working at Books a Million.

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[Rafa]

It's not a bad job at all, but it depends a lot on your workmates. If you've got a bunch of slackers, and none of them look like they're in danger of getting fired, then you're set to chill. But if you land a job with a bunch of suckups and gunners (and people whose entire lives revolve around the bookstore), then it can definitely suck. I'd recommend scouting both stores and determining which has seemingly lazier employees.

Another bad thing about working in a bookstore (depending on where you are) is that you might land a job where employees are expected to be on their feet all the time. That can *really* suck.

 

[funshine]

It's not a bad job at all, but it depends a lot on your workmates. If you've got a bunch of slackers, and none of them look like they're in danger of getting fired, then you're set to chill. But if you land a job with a bunch of suckups and gunners (and people whose entire lives revolve around the bookstore), then it can definitely suck. I'd recommend scouting both stores and determining which has seemingly lazier employees.

Another bad thing about working in a bookstore (depending on where you are) is that you might land a job where employees are expected to be on their feet all the time. That can *really* suck.

Hmm, lazier employees...will definitely keep your advice in mind. Have you ever heard of Books-A-Million? I'm kind of concerned because no one I know seems to visit that bookstore, and I don't want to work in an empty bookstore all day.

Should I hold back on my book/cd shopping spree till after I get my employee discount? Because if I just buy on amazon.com, I get ~20% off most everything anyway...sigh immediate gratification is always better I guess.

 

[Doctormo24]

I worked in my college bookstore for about a year on/off. I worked for B&N College Bookstores. To me personally I didnt like it at all, it was a boring painful job, and we did the same thing every semester. First, we would have to receive the books from UPS, unpack them, count them, and then shelf them. After doing that for a while your back really gets to you and your whole body just starts to hurt. I never really looked forward to going to work, I knew that day in day out I would be unloading books out of boxes and shelving them and at the end of the day I would be hurting. Our discounts were 20% on Textbooks, 35% on regular reading books and merchandise.

So after working down, I moved to the Starbucks cafe upstairs in the bookstore and have been working there since August of 2005, I still enjoy all the same discounts and benefits but sadly still get minimum wage. Its allright, I love my co-workers who make it extremely enjoyable to work with. And anyways FREE COFFEE, etc. Thats the best you know, when you have a test or something to study for or your just tired I just go upstairs and get myself a Gingerbread Caramel Machiato. The only sucky thing about the job is having to restack the hundreds and hundreds of magazines back onto the shelves.

Now that I look back at it working downstairs as a bookseller was really boring, things will never really change, you will be doing the same things semester in and semester out. But, I see you will be working in a regular B&N I think that will be cooler and more enjoyable than working at a college bookstore. I say go for it!!!

 

[Dominion]

I would say don't do it. It's not as low stress as you think it is, in my opinion there isn't a low stress mainstream retail job. Unless you get no customers. Most places require you to be the only one in your section and work with all 20 customers in your area at the same time. Book store is a bit different, but still same high stress.

Partime probably would't be so bad, but in general retail is a very stressful place. It's made better only if you have good co-workers.

 

[jebus]

Um, can't you just apply to both of them?
I have a friend who works at B&N and he really likes his job. He is a book nerd though - and a history major to boot. But I do get a discount if he's there when I buy stuff. The discounts do apply to CDs.
Also, paying for music? That's just silly. Can you see the silliness? It's there.

 

[Rafa]

Hmm, lazier employees...will definitely keep your advice in mind. Have you ever heard of Books-A-Million? I'm kind of concerned because no one I know seems to visit that bookstore, and I don't want to work in an empty bookstore all day.

Should I hold back on my book/cd shopping spree till after I get my employee discount? Because if I just buy on amazon.com, I get ~20% off most everything anyway...sigh immediate gratification is always better I guess.

It depends. If you actually get a job at one of the two stores, you might get up to a 40% discount. But probably not more. Haven't heard of Books-A-Million. However, believe me, empty stores are better than full ones, because you'll have more free time. Then again, you might get sacked with lots of irritating tasks because the boss doesn't want you to just sit around earning money.

Upon reflection, I actually don't like my bookstore job at all. It *isn't* stress-less working in a bookstore. They are actually quite high-maintainance places behind the scenes -- it isn't just sitting down and working the cash register -- you'll spend a hell of a lot of time opening packages of uninteresting books, taking inventory, shelf-checking, moving heavy boxes full of books to and from storage (which might be in a hot and dusty basement)...

it really depends on where you work. But I'll tell you firsthand -- try to avoid a college bookstore if possible. I think you'd actually be better off working in a larger bookstore, since that way you're less likely to be under direct supervision, and that way, your co-workers will be less likely to be sycophantic suckups to the boss. The stronger the "us-vs-them" mentality at the store (between workers and management), the better. Any job is more tolerable if all the employees feel they're in it together, and realize that covering for each other makes more sense than brown-nosing.

Edit: Wow. After reading Dominon and Doctormo's posts, it looks like we're all on the same page about this.

Yeah. It isn't a fun job at all. If we're talking about low-wage, part-time jobs, then personally, I'd rather have a job that allows me to sit, and (like Drmo hinted at) doesn't involve heavy lifting. And also a job *again, I'm stressing this* where your co-workers understand that bosses are "the enemy", and don't behave like weasels. You don't want to work somewhere where all the employees act as if they want to work there for the rest of their lives. Believe me. You don't.

 

[funshine]

However, believe me, empty stores are better than full ones, because you'll have more free time.

See, I have WAY too much free time right now. I'm done with all my interviews, I'm not in school anymore and just quit my job, none of my friends are around, and I'm basically looking for a job so I have another place to go besides the gym.

I had no idea a lot of time was spent unpacking and sorting out merchandise...though it makes complete sense. When I look around my local B&N, it seems like all the employees are very relaxed and just chatting with customers.

Also, paying for music? That's just silly.

ok, in my defense I only buy music of obscure composers you can't download online. Of course, I never check online either but my house still has dial-up so downloading is just not an option anyway 😀

 

[funshine]

Just found this: The Barnes and Noble Experience . Working in a bookstore might not be the ideal job, but it's a way to spend the months between getting accepted and actually starting med school.

"One of the first things I learned while working at Barnes & Noble was that you should never, ever pay for a book. You can read an entire goddamn novel in the store and we won't bug you once. If you'd rather the convenience of reading at home, simply pay for the book, keep the reciept, and finish it within fourteen days. Even if you say "I didn't like it." they'll take it back. If this surprises you, then you should be even more surprised to learn that this is B&N's version of a strict return policy; recently changed from 'If we carry it, you can return it; no questions asked.' You'd be surprised at the number of people who do this; many seemingly consider Barnes & Noble a library that just happens to require safety deposits. "
...

"One evening a man approached the cash register and proceeded to explain to me in broken (Yet very cheerful) English that he had been to the U.S. a year ago on a business trip, visited our store, and had purchased a book that had been bound incorrectly. He demonstrated this fact by opening the book and flipping through the pages one by one, counting off the page number as he turned each page. In areas where the page numbers were out of place he would look up from his task with a huge smile and say "Uh-oh!"
After the book had been replaced, he chose another book to purchase, and flipped through each and every page of the 400+ page book to make sure there were no problems. Just think: A person's faith in American commerce completely shattered by one simple glitch in the manufacturing process. "

 

[Dominion]

That site has convinced me I need to make one. I currently work at a Geeksquad in Best Buy (which is why I know retail is hell 😛) and I have so many of those stories it's crazy.

 

[Jaider]

Do you really like books? I'd try to find a fun job, or at least something that you've always wanted to try, just for the sake of crossing it off your list.

Maybe you don't have a list... But, you see, I've always been curious what it would be like working in the mall. To just be one of those shallow lookin' girls in one of the trendy clothes stores. I've always had hard core science jobs because I've had med school on my mind since 16, and I didn't think working retail would contribute to my application. Now that I've been accepted I think I'll try to get a part-time job in the mall for a few months. Just to enjoy the clothes discount, build up a good lookin' wardrobe in time for school, and also to be able to say: "Sheesh, workin' in the mall sucks. Thank god I'm gonna be a doctor." 🙂

P.S. I worked in a bookstore in high school and kind of hated it. But only because it was a haute-y children's bookstore and the customers were all b*tches. But B&N could be cool...

 

[discus]

How much do they pay for working in a bookstore? Is it also minimum wage?

 

[Dominion]

Generally, some places pay a bit more, here the nearest B&N offered 1$ more than min wage.

 

[AcousticDoc]

Working at a book store is cool. You get free books as long as you can live without covers.

 

[argonana]

that B&N link is hilarious. i'm afraid now to browse through the magazines at bookstores.

 

[lropp]

Sorry I know it's not really pre-allo related, but I thought there'd be more ppl in this forum to answer my question. Anyone done this? I know there's actual work involved like working the register and putting books back on the shelves over and over again, but it seems like a pretty low-stress job, right?

I'm currently deciding whether to apply to Barnes&Noble or Books-a-Million. B&N is like 15 minutes further from my house than Books-a-Million, but honestly, I've only been to Books-Million three times whereas I make trips to B&N almost every week.

What do you think? Anyone have a bad experience working in a bookstore? I think B&N employees get a 30% discount (I wonder if it includes CDs?) but I have no idea what the perks are of working at Books a Million.

I worked in my campus bookstore and hated it. I only last about 3 months... I found it extremely boring and repetitive. I'd look into something else for cash.

 

[Thundrstorm]

I worked in a bookstore (SuperCrown) my senior year of high school and it was the best non-skilled job I ever had (ie. restaurant and retail work, not tutoring or research or something like that). My duties were basically register (which I liked), stocking/alphabetizing, organizing the stock room, and helping customers. Plus, I had to take turns cleaning the restroom. I had fun coworkers and relaxed managers, got tons of books, magazines, and calendars free (you'd be surprised how many books get the covers ripped off and are thrown away), got a good discount, and wasn't super-stressed. Let's face it: people are rude to employees in stores, but it seemed to me like they weren't as uptight in a bookstore as in other stores (aren't you more high strung about purchasing a computer vs. a paperback?). I like to read, so it saved me $$ I'd spend on books anyway, I got to talk to people about cool books, and I didn't have stupid sale figures to meet like when I worked in Natural Wonders and had to sell a certain number of telescopes and lava lamps. Granted, part of my enjoyment was probably that I worked with one of my best friends, happened to have super-cool managers, and knew the trick of how to get free sodas from the vending machine, but all-in-all, I think bookstores are a cool place to work... anyway it was good for me at 17. Maybe not so much now though.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

work at a clothing store! clothes for med school, quite essential! you can get the same books at b&n online at amazon for the same discount.