Barnes & Noble Employee Job Reviews in the United States

"They are a very nice company to work for. Tools needed for PR job were dated which made the job difficult but over-all the company is good to it's employees as long as you do the job you were hired for."

"Best team ever. Let's see what they do next."

"A good company with better people. It's the people here that make it fun to come to work."

"The company has a lot of uncertainty and there is no room to grow."

"I've worked for Barnes & Noble for nearly 6 years. I started as a part time bookseller and with hard work and support from my supervisors have risen to management. The company maintains a focus on its staff, knowing that they are the faces in the community, serving the community, and representing the community."

"I have been with the company over 6 years now and the company has definitely changed. The focus into digital has been a failure and they know it but continue otherwise. I honestly do not have a lot of faith in this company. Its leadership does not seem to know what it wants to do, sell books, e-devices or toys, well why not all three It's honestly time for me to move on and improve on myself."

What do you like about working at Barnes & Noble?

"I love the actual job and the work that I do."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"In all fairness, it depends on the store. Some locations have General Managers who are employee focused and the better atmosphere can truly make a difference. As a Department Manager, I fight for my team and reward them myself with dinners and gift cards. If possible, do some research and find out what the culture at the particular location they are applying at is like."

What don't you like about working at Barnes & Noble?

"Company culture is not employee friendly. The workers are undervalued. The company keeps its hourly workers under full-time status so as to not provide benefits when the pay is already low. Employees rarely last more than a few months. Managers used to work 45-50 hours a week when on a salary that was based on 40, but after losing a lawsuit, have recently been made hourly. Now they are expected to be just as productive, but are not allowed to work over, so as not to qualify for overtime. Communication is top down only and employee input is not encouraged. Schedules are not consistent and make it impossible to properly utilize their vacation time. It makes for a very tense atmosphere."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"I would focus more on the employee culture, valuing their input and appreciating their efforts. Attrition is high due to the old school hierarchy which doesn't engage its employees at a personal level."

What do you like about working at Barnes & Noble?

"Working with books. Helping customers find books that fit their needs. Making suggestions. Selling."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Be prepared for erratic schedules and conflicting, ambiguous direction from supervisors. Otherwise, there are some great people, and selling books is very rewarding."

What don't you like about working at Barnes & Noble?

"The hours were terrible. Frequent double talk from supervisors. Misguided budgets for payroll. Inconsistent direction."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Be consistent in the day to day operational policies. Ensure that communication has reached all levels of the organization before making decisions."

"Rewarding Experience working for Barnes and Noble Inc."

What do you like about working at Barnes & Noble?

"Great environment and people to work for and with and allowed my ideas to be implemented."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"None, other than show that you are a team player and are willing to work as hard as possible to meet all objectives."

What don't you like about working at Barnes & Noble?

"There is nothing I didn't like about working for Barnes and Noble Inc. that was worth mentioning."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Continue and expand current culture and think outside the box."

What do you like about working at Barnes & Noble?

"I loved working in the publishing industry and in Washington, DC. I worked with authors, events, government relations, education policy, literacy initiatives, and teachers."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Barnes & Noble is a great place for bibliophiles. They love to recruit from within, but be aware that it is rare the people from the retail side transition to the corporate side."

What don't you like about working at Barnes & Noble?

"There was no room for career growth in the PR and marketing field."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"I would have put the community relations activities in a separate division from the retail side."

What do you like about working at Barnes & Noble?

"At least I get a paycheck every Friday. Go me."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"It's fine for a day job. What else can I say."

What don't you like about working at Barnes & Noble?

"The job itself is fine. It's retail so I can't expect it to give me great pride."

What do you like about working at Barnes & Noble?

"It's a job I can do well at and I'm happy to have a job at all."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Make realistic goals for yourself, so that you can punch out each day and feel some sense of accomplishment. This is a retail environment and one that is just hanging on its fingertips. If you take the work, do your best, so that wherever you go next, no one can say you didn't work your ass off."

What don't you like about working at Barnes & Noble?

"The company makes a broad general assessment that all stores should have the same amount of product. The square feet of available space makes it often impossible to carry titles customers want and display the titles they want us to display. Also, they don't pay a livable wage."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Pay employees a livable wage and hold bad managers accountable."

What do you like about working at Barnes & Noble?

"Enjoy helping customers find information or learn new things. Am constantly stimulated by the new books that come in. Look forward to seeing what new features our digital team comes up with."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Have a passion for what you are selling. Want to help people. Care about what you do."

What don't you like about working at Barnes & Noble?

"I fear that the company is becoming irrelevant. We compete against online sales, and there is less and less of a reason for customers to shop with us."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Put an emphasis on generating traffic into the store. We have moved from being a cultural center in our local community to simply being a store. As we have to compete with online sales, fewer and fewer people seem to come in, because they can buy things online at a lower price. We used to deliver experiences as well as things. Not so much anymore."