Finding the Right Help for your Book Store

Finding the Right Help
When you’ve held for a lifetime the dream of your own little bookshop, it’s more than likely that the dream didn’t include the Sunday helper that you’ll eventually need if you want a day off to enjoy some time away from your shop (as unlikely as that need would appear to be in the dream-state).  It eventually becomes a necessity.  In our case, it came about because I had two small children, and a husband with a fulltime job who did not feel it was completely fair to expect him to work a full week and then spend the entire weekend bound by the children while I had the shop open.  It can’t be just a juggle between work and children.  There must be room for little indulgences – simple things like a coffee with a friend, catching a wave on a surfboard, getting some writing done, family days out or weekends away – otherwise we find ourselves grumpy and fed up with the weeks rolling by like the distant waves.
I was very happy with the first helper I employed.  He was going through his last year of secondary school and loved books.  Unfortunately he moved on to university three hours away, so he couldn’t continue after that year.  He still pops in to say hello when he’s in town these days, and I always enjoy that.  He reminds me of my best friend 20 years ago.  And it’s interesting to watch him go through an almost identical book list as my friend and I did back then.  Kerouac, Hunter S, Camus, Zola, Conrad.  The joy of finding books that can change your life, or at least your way of thinking about something.  The only downside to this young man working for me was that he would bring in his own CDs to play in the shop (which wouldn’t be music I’d want to hear in a bookshop if I were a customer), and he’d spend a lot of time playing computer games.  I think I eventually removed the computer!  Customers often give you a bit of a glare if they catch you on a computer – god forbid! – when you could be reading!
After him came a couple of less than perfect choices.  I have my own dreams and visions for this place – many, many of them – and while I don’t have much time at the moment with the two little ones, I do eventually hope to be able to put at least some of these into place.  And don’t get me wrong, I do like to hear about what people think could be improved.  I have taken many suggestions on board, and made changes accordingly.  What I don’t like, however, is people who think they’ve got the answers.  That they could do it better.  I always feel that these people should have their own shops, and not try to tell me how I should run mine.  One of these helpers would have her best friend in the shop with her all day, sitting directly in front the desk, where the customers needed to stand to make a purchase.  This meant that customers would feel less compelled to approach the desk, afraid to interrupt what was clearly a private chat.  Another one wouldn’t do anything useful in the shop.  In fact, she would find books I’d priced differently on different days and had in different areas of the shop (some books, if I have doubles, I will have one, say, in general fiction and one in adventure, etc.) and place them together in one of the sections, highlighting my inconsistencies to the general public!  (Tell me I am not the only bookseller who might price a book differently on different days, depending on mood, how much I’d paid for them, etc. etc.)  She would also comment to me on how much dust was gathering under the shelves, while a broom would lie idle behind her.  There was a lot of negative feedback from many of my favourite customers at this time.
With each of these situations I found it incredibly difficult to say anything.  As it was at a time when I was trying to figure out how the balls should be juggled (kids, shop, life) I was able to dismiss each of these part-time staffers with a change of hours.
The best person in the shop was a woman who didn’t mind pottering around and doing stuff.  She was organised, and did amazing things like sort the children’s section (one section I constantly have trouble controlling!), sweep, polish and shelve!  I was sorry when her time in the shop ended.  She left to start her own business, which is one of the best shops I have ever been into – The Spice Nook, also in Port Fairy.  The gorgeous smells that waft out of her shop and up the laneway seduce everyone!
And now I have an equally wonderful helper.  She’s young, doing her year 11 this year, so I’m hoping she’s still around next year, and she’s also a keen reader and enthusiastic.  She shelves and tidies and greets customers cheerfully, and there is always positive feedback about her.  She has been the first helper I’ve given a key to and had her open the shop on the weekends we’ve been away, but whether that’s more about the fact that I’m ready to get away a bit more now and hand the responsibility over a little, or more about my faith in her, or a combination, it’s hard to say.
The fact remains that the person behind the desk can change the mood, the atmosphere, of the shop, and it is important to get that mood right.  Some people don’t fit the vision, others can.  It is trial and error, but it is something that can become very awkward very rapidly if the situation isn’t quickly corrected.  I would love to hear how other secondhand booksellers have handled this delicate part of the business.

bookstoreWhen you’ve held for a lifetime the dream of your own little bookshop, it’s more than likely that the dream didn’t include the Sunday helper that you’ll eventually need if you want a day off to enjoy some time away from your shop (as unlikely as that need would appear to be in the dream-state).  It eventually becomes a necessity.  In our case, it came about because I had two small children, and a husband with a fulltime job who did not feel it was completely fair to expect him to work a full week and then spend the entire weekend bound by the children while I had the shop open.  It can’t be just a juggle between work and children.  There must be room for little indulgences – simple things like a coffee with a friend, catching a wave on a surfboard, getting some writing done, family days out or weekends away – otherwise we find ourselves grumpy and fed up with the weeks rolling by like the distant waves.

I was very happy with the first helper I employed.  He was going through his last year of secondary school and loved books.  Unfortunately he moved on to university three hours away, so he couldn’t continue after that year.  He still pops in to say hello when he’s in town these days, and I always enjoy that.  He reminds me of my best friend 20 years ago.  And it’s interesting to watch him go through an almost identical book list as my friend and I did back then.  Kerouac, Hunter S, Camus, Zola, Conrad.  The joy of finding books that can change your life, or at least your way of thinking about something.  The only downside to this young man working for me was that he would bring in his own CDs to play in the shop (which wouldn’t be music I’d want to hear in a bookshop if I were a customer), and he’d spend a lot of time playing computer games.  I think I eventually removed the computer!  Customers often give you a bit of a glare if they catch you on a computer – god forbid! – when you could be reading!

After him came a couple of less than perfect choices.  I have my own dreams and visions for this place – many, many of them – and while I don’t have much time at the moment with the two little ones, I do eventually hope to be able to put at least some of these into place.  And don’t get me wrong, I do like to hear about what people think could be improved.  I have taken many suggestions on board, and made changes accordingly.  What I don’t like, however, is people who think they’ve got the answers.  That they could do it better.  I always feel that these people should have their own shops, and not try to tell me how I should run mine.  One of these helpers would have her best friend in the shop with her all day, sitting directly in front the desk, where the customers needed to stand to make a purchase.  This meant that customers would feel less compelled to approach the desk, afraid to interrupt what was clearly a private chat.  Another one wouldn’t do anything useful in the shop.  In fact, she would find books I’d priced differently on different days and had in different areas of the shop (some books, if I have doubles, I will have one, say, in general fiction and one in adventure, etc.) and place them together in one of the sections, highlighting my inconsistencies to the general public!  (Tell me I am not the only bookseller who might price a book differently on different days, depending on mood, how much I’d paid for them, etc. etc.)  She would also comment to me on how much dust was gathering under the shelves, while a broom would lie idle behind her.  There was a lot of negative feedback from many of my favourite customers at this time.

With each of these situations I found it incredibly difficult to say anything.  As it was at a time when I was trying to figure out how the balls should be juggled (kids, shop, life) I was able to dismiss each of these part-time staffers with a change of hours.

The best person in the shop was a woman who didn’t mind pottering around and doing stuff.  She was organised, and did amazing things like sort the children’s section (one section I constantly have trouble controlling!), sweep, polish and shelve!  I was sorry when her time in the shop ended.  She left to start her own business, which is one of the best shops I have ever been into – The Spice Nook, also in Port Fairy.  The gorgeous smells that waft out of her shop and up the laneway seduce everyone!

And now I have an equally wonderful helper.  She’s young, doing her year 11 this year, so I’m hoping she’s still around next year, and she’s also a keen reader and enthusiastic.  She shelves and tidies and greets customers cheerfully, and there is always positive feedback about her.  She has been the first helper I’ve given a key to and had her open the shop on the weekends we’ve been away, but whether that’s more about the fact that I’m ready to get away a bit more now and hand the responsibility over a little, or more about my faith in her, or a combination, it’s hard to say.

The fact remains that the person behind the desk can change the mood, the atmosphere, of the shop, and it is important to get that mood right.  Some people don’t fit the vision, others can.  It is trial and error, but it is something that can become very awkward very rapidly if the situation isn’t quickly corrected.  I would love to hear how other secondhand booksellers have handled this delicate part of the business.

8 thoughts on “Finding the Right Help for your Book Store”

  1. I always love your articles Jo. Not always do I comment on them but I do always read them. Some more than once. I’m certain there are others that just as avidly follow your tales of the roller coaster ride that owning your own business can be. Please don’t stop contributing to BookShopBlog.

    That said, I do not own a B&M Bookstore but I do know that, as you said, “the person behind the desk can change the mood, the atmosphere, of the shop, and it is important to get that mood right.”

    This is true no matter the business. In the 1970’s I went to a local burger stand and was so ill treated on that first visit I have not been back since. I live 2 blocks from the place and will travel 4 blocks (2 more blocks past it) if I desire a quick meal. The place I do visit has been through 3 owners and the employees have changed many times but I always get a smile and a thank you from them.

    I think it would be better to close the doors for a day (or even more if need be) than to hire someone that would drive business away. That business might stay away and you would not even know about it.

  2. You are so, so, so right about the importance of the person behind the counter! That person must, as must the owner, make browsers feel comfortable and customers feel appreciated, turning the former into the latter as often as possible. I am the luckiest bookseller in the world in this regard, since I have had for years a VOLUNTEER two days a week who is practically perfect in every way. Other people have offered to “mind the shop” on a volunteer basis, and it’s not an offer to dismiss lightly, but it’s important that the volunteer know books, know your stock, know your ways of doing business, etc., etc. Being the boss can be difficult at times, but when you’re clear in your mind about what you want and need, it becomes easier to get it. Thanks for this post, Jo.

  3. I have an intern this year who’s in for about two hours a week through the special education program at the high school. She’s great and seems to do just fine with whatever I give her. The one downside is she comes with an aide who often seems to be more of a hindrance than a help.

    I handed the intern my PDA to do shelf check and briefly explained how it worked. The aide got all flustered because it might be too hard. Oh, the look my intern gave her… didn’t say anything, just gave her this “please, my cellphone is more complicated than this.”

    She seems really keen on doing product photos, which I HATE doing, so it works out well.

  4. Hi From England,
    We have had the same problems with staff,over the last 40 years.I too price the same book at different prices !
    My only advise to recruiting the right person is to avoid those with biz / admin degree’s – they don’t seem to want to do any real work,like moving boxes about.
    Ideally you want someone who is a happy person,either married to a rich partner or retired.
    The other issue with a book loving staff is that they often want first pick at new stock,but this is offset against the knowledge they can offer the customer.
    You can also use some sneaky tactics and allow the staff to pass on their 10% discount to favorite customers – for some psychological reasons punters like to think they have got the upper hand on the boss.

  5. Prying 1 – do you have a name?!! Thank you very much for your comments – much appreciated! In fact, thank you all for your comments – every suggestion and response helps! I still don’t feel terribly comfortable being a “boss” — it really wasn’t part of the dream. Your words of encouragement and advice are fantastic! Jo

      • Bruce – I think it was actually day 2 that I first visited. Check your records. -(8-P

        Jo – As Bruce said, Paul Young here. Not the singer. (He has yet to send me residuals for using my name!) It sometimes seems that prying1 (not case sensitive) is my real name. I spend so much time on the computer anymore my online life and ‘real’ life gets blurred.

        My daughter has a sticker that shows a guy hugging a computer and the balloon says, “I love my computer. All my friends live in there.”

        I feel that way with all the contributors and commenters here on BookShop Blog. The areas of this world that are covered by this site is amazing to me.

        I’m pretty sure I’ve said it before Bruce but here it is again. Thanks for setting up and running this site.

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