Spotted just inside the entrance of Borders Books in Mansfield, MA:
As a nearby retailer elloquently put it, “Do you think they are a little bitter? No wonder they are closing….”
Thanks to Ann Foley-Collins (Glee Gifts) for sharing this. Wow.
From Borders to customers: We can’t stand you, so there.
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@Laura, and others…
OK, so I guess my post yesterday was pretty snarky and that didn’t really help get my point across…my apologies…
I guess what struck a nerve for me was that Cinda’s original post (and the comment of the “nearby retailer”) seemed to imply that this sign was indicative of a pervasive attitude, and that the pervasive attitude of these particular employees in Mansfield were the reason why Borders went under.
Were there bad Borders employees (in Mansfield and elsewhere) who should never work in retail? Surely. Yet, I’m willing to wager that virtually every retail business has employees like that.
I don’t think it’s fair to blame these, or any other particular employees, for the demise of Borders. There’s no question that, as Cinda replied to my original comment, posting the sign in public view was “inappropriate and immature” — and my only point was that I can understand where their emotions come from, even if we can all agree it was a terrible way to vent those emotions.
I don’t think the existence of this sign means that the employees generally treated customers poorly or that they deserved to see their store close. I certainly don’t believe that if the employees had been friendlier or just performed better customer service that they’d have been able to avoid this fate.
I also don’t think it’s fair to summarily lump every bitter employee into the “it’s their fault they lost their job” camp. There are plenty of Borders employees who came to work every day, worked really darn hard, treated their customers like rock stars, and in the end, there is nothing those people could do to save the chain from its demise.
I think lots of hard working and decent people have a right to be a little bitter about losing their jobs, whether they were laid off from Borders, Bank of America, or your local town government or school district.
-Stephen
P.S. For the record, I have been part of corporate downsizing and I’ve had the unpleasant task of having to downsize people too. In addition, like many of us with an interest in the 3/50 Project, I’ve spent plenty of time working retail, though I never worked for Borders (or any other bookseller). Those experiences certainly color my commentary…
Editor’s note: Stephen and I are of like mind in that no paintbrush covers all employees -or- all consumers. While (obviously) one? several? employees were in on the sign debacle, my hope is that it wasn’t something endorsed by the entire staff and/or local management. I remain firm in my opinion that no one deserves this kind of juvenile public flogging, regardless of how bad they feel themselves. There’s good…there’s bad…and there’s plain ol’ poor judgement (something that, unfortunately, comes in all shapes and sizes).
To all you commenters who are saying that the Borders employees were rude to you once the liquidation started – here is why: People are idiots, plain and simple, yes that means you too. People would come in and ask for a book without knowing the title, the author, or even what it was about and expected us to know what they wanted. People were rude and demanding. We had customers standing next to the DVD section – I mean like half a foot away – and say where are your DVD’s….. ummmm did you even think to look around the store before asking such a stupid question? No. We had customers come in and say “Oh I love that you are closing the sales are great!” Thank you jerk for being happy that I am losing my job. The people who came into Borders were idiots so if an employee was rude to you, this was why – because we were actually nice to the customers who asked legitimate questions or who didn’t seem to be completely incompetent.
Dear author,
We were on to you too. Your attitude toward your customers made us feel unwelcome and that is why I rarely entered a Borders Store. I imagine other customers felt it too….after all, they all stopped coming and your store is closed. Maybe you’ll find a lesson in that and will do better in your next job. I hope you find one that is a good match for you – and please, don’t apply to any more bookstores, I love shopping in real bookstores and would hate for your attitude to spread and kill them all.
Thanks.
First let me say, I am no big Oprah fan. That being said, do they realized how many book she sold for them?
I have to give them a pass on the children’s section one. I often want to walk up to people and tell them that just because no one heard the thing anything smash on the floor doesn’t mean their kid didn’t destroy merchandise. OK a pass on read books too, haven’t people heard of the library.
When our local borders closed, many people got angry at the local independent guy because he wouldn’t put more chairs and sofas in. He explained to them that he just did a fundraiser to help the library buy new chairs and sofas. One person said to him “I don’t like their books, yours are new.”
Yes, poor customer service is a big reason why stores, large and small fail. But I honestly can’t say I ever experienced better or worse service at Borders vs. Barnes & Nobel. The world is changing and there just isn’t room anymore for 2 big box bookstore chains.
What I can say is that a couple of things ring very true – parents using a children’s section as a baby sitter and returning used books. I’m saddened by the disrespect parents teach their children by letting them use and abuse areas like this in stores. Not only are they ruining things that are not theirs, someone has to clean up after them. These are the same kids that will grow up and leave the dressing rooms of stores cluttered with wads of clothes strewn about.
And returning used books is just tacky and cheap. Look for the title, used, if you need to save $$.
I worked at a Borders in Las Vegas and this post made me laugh. Those were all the things that we would whisper and roll our eyes over in between “guests”. And yeah, a lot us were cynical. And bitter. And disgruntled. Do you know how many times in a day during liquidation we had to listen politely while people chewed us out for closing? For not having access to search computers anymore? For not accepting the Borders Reward card any longer? WE were not the reason Borders went out of business. Being in liquidation is not a reason for “guests” to treat employees like dirt and insult them. We lost our jobs, our insurance, our income. We are people, not machines. Explaining to a “guest” that we realize Romance is 60% off, but that doesn’t mean we can discount the cookbook you found in the section for that amount doesn’t mean we’re rude. Denying that request isn’t the reason the store went out of business. I don’t care if you can “see now why the company went out of business”, there’s only so much that we, as human beings, can take before Customer Service becomes synonymous with Punching Bag.
I am a small family owned retailer, and I can say that a lot of those comments are valid complaints that a lot of retailers deal with; we just can’t say them out loud because we do value our customers’ feelings. However, there is a huge list of things that customers repeatedly do that are very frustrating and make you worry about the state of our society. Shoppers are often time so self-involved in what they want, need, or need to do that they forget basic courtesy; and it is very hurtful to the employees who are trying their best to serve you.The complaints this store posted don’t have anything to do with the cause of their closing, as far as I can see. It was just an opportunity for someone to vent their frustrations with rude customers (lets face it…there are rude customers out there…we can all be one on occasion); since it was no longer going to affect their job or the integrity of the store.
It’s really dumb that people read this and think it reflects EVERY Border’s employee of EVERY Border’s in the country. This could have happened anywhere. It’s pathetic that this is even posted on the Internet, like gossip. Border’s is going through enough already. Give them a break.
This is awful and I wouldn’t have been surprise to see this at the store that closed in our area (Erie, PA). I have never had a good experience at Borders. I loved to browse, but if you had a question or needed assistance, good luck. The customer service was atrocious. I even had a manager slam the door in my face once instead of explaining their hours had changed and they weren’t opening for another hour. I know from personal experience that retail is stressful and will, at times, make you hate the human race, but it is your JOB. Be thankful you have one. This is what happens to your company when you don’t appreciate your customers…but I bet they are blaming the economy.
Kind of ironic that the big-box stores that put the little guys out of business are now getting a taste of their own medicine. Unfortunately, it’s the Mom and Pop stores that have the good-old-fashioned-service ethic. Employees of chain stores have no loyalty to customers or to their employers. I’m sad at the deterioration in customer service. I will go out of my way to shop at stores that treat me with kindness and respect, and I offer that in return.
Geez, people. You’re in need of more compassion, and better senses of humor. Mean people shouldn’t work in retail? I am mean (on rare occasion) and I work in retail. People aren’t black and white. It’s called “being human,” folks, and none of us are perfect At. All. Times. And certainly not when you just lost your livelihood. Give ‘em a break. Maybe Borders’ employees were more snarky than the norm. But I say, as a bookseller, that summer reading comment is HILARIOUS, and certainly worth the price of any bitterness, or “shaming.” Lighten up, loosen up, and stop judging.
Editor’s note: Ironically, that’s the very point those of us who find the sign offensive are making: “Stop judging (the customers).”
My husband and I decided to live out the American dream and purchase a “country store” 4 years ago. The former owners and employees were cynical, grouchy and provided terrible cutstomer service. We thought we could change all that and for the most part we did. I had no idea how difficult or downright ignorant some of the customers could be. Somehow we as an industry have trained them to “always be right”, be entitled to the best deal all the time, return anything at anytime regardless of condition, steal from us and use us. I keep seeing the comments referrering to “customers” of Borders were the reason they had a job. Of course they were. Everyone who walks through the door is a potential customer. Without PAYING customers none of us have a job. However, not everyone who walks through the door is a customer. The visitors to Borders who used it like a public library without every spending a dime were not customers. People who bought, read and returned books were not customers. People who browsed titles and then searched for the book on Amazon for a better price were not customers. I apologize in advance for any selling errors in this. Thanks for letting me get that off my mind.
I had the experience on friday of walking in to the Mansfield Borders. With their strategically placed customer bashing sign. I did in fact feel like I got smashed in the head!! What an insult. with everything from insulting people who read Nickolas Sparks (no I have never read him). But now I”ll be just as snarky as you former borders “book checker outer.” how did you get to be such a literary genius and fine person of academia to determine who “sucks” as an author and thereby insulting the reader. I didn’t realize the wealth of talent that was to be had here. you did everything from insult frazzled parent on not getting their kids summer reading in a timely manner, to being offended when someone took more than a second of your time or asked you to help find a book. Last I checked wasn’t this your JOB?????? the thing that infuriates me the most was for you to say and you person pretending to read better homes and gardens we know you are reading playboy. Is that what you did stand around and judge people? obviously you don’t deserve your job if you are nosing around looking at what people are reading!!! How do you know the person doesn’t have a child with an eating disorder, or perhaps a gentlemen might have a sexual disfunction and they might slip another book in front of what they are reading for PRIVACY? (Definately proven necessary by the acts of heartless nosy staff) I was a good customerr that bought many things at borders for personal use and gifts. Yes there are idiots that come in to stores, it used to amaze me that people would eat and read books for free and leave their trash and books on the table and leave, and yes Moms used to let their kids TRASH the kids section. But….. most people have class and manners put their books back, throw their trash out, (yes I did.) but to make it so personal about politics, personal choices, etc. is deplorable !!! I call it the MEANING OF AMERICA. Read Mansfield Topix. One of the employees called a customer A F’n Fat B%#@h the other day because she was upset about the sign. The other employees supported him by saying the f word was only a word. I was told I didn’t have to read the sign if I didn’t like it. I said Obviously it is here because you want us to read it!!!! Borders staff could have walked out with their heads held high instead they left on the lowest , meanest, rudest note possible.
To lindsey, Asking an employee where the dvd section is when they are standing a foot away from it is mmmmh…. lets see maybe ditzy but I wouldn’t call it rude and demanding. I being over 40 have had many of those moments where it might be right in front of my face and I might not see it.Borders employees gave their customers the ultimate final slap to the chops. My daughter was asked to leave because she tried to take a picture of the “sign” why cuz I think the borders employees knew how very wrong they were. We will cut down all these customers down in our final moments but we don’t want it out to the general public! Blame Amazon.com, blame kindel, blame yourselves for your hidiously bad form, but don’t blame us!!! As my Uncle Ed used to say there is no excuse for bad manners.
I love this poster. So much.
I remember when there used to be a store called Waldensbooks. Lovely small mall store were the staff cared and greeted you when you came in. Every Tues (new book day) I would show up usally when they opened to get my new releases and the staff knew me by sight, they let me in the back room a few times because they have yet to unloaded certain books that i wanted. Then when Borders bought them out they fired the very nice women and hired mean snobby people who would walk right by with out a word. So I went to the bigger Borders thinking that would be better and nope it was WORSE. Staff would get angry when i asked a simple question and yes there are simple questions. I once over heard a staff who just hung up the phone make fun of the customer they were on the phone with in front of other customers.
No im not a fan of B&N but because of Borders staff they drove me to them. And I am a book buy I usally spend $200 a month on books.
Wow! I had a Borders in my neighborhood and ended up having to shop there after the Little Professor bookstore closed (probably because the Border’s moved in.) After a while, I started liking it. I still shopped at my local used book store too. And oddly enough, the employees at the Border’s I went too were NOT rude to me. In fact, I might have even called them nice. Some were more than nice. Most were really helpful. And the sign they posted when they were closing? They asked us to make comments on their store. As customers. The comments were all along the line of how much people would miss the store. I guess my Border’s must have been doing something right. There’s a Barnes and Noble’s a few miles from it but it’s kind of hard to get to and the Border’s was here before it. Who knows, I think it’s all about attitude and location.
I’ve patronized Borders since before they opened the Mansfield Store and I’ve personally never had a problem with staff. Just in general, I’ve learned if that if you approach a person with civility and manners, even the most defensive and miserable will usually become somewhat disarmed and reply with courtesy. It is a sad reality it seems, that we have allowed ourselves to be swayed by bad behavior. I see it on TV and hear it in the lyrics of music and I just won’t subscribe to it. But I digress.
There are points and truths on both sides that posters have expressed. I read the sign in Borders and felt the snideness and bitterness but I took it with a grain of salt considering the circumstances; I’m sincerely sorry to see people loose their jobs. I agree that the comments concerning what folks chose to read was not kind nor the political comments. I do agree with the commets about parents with no seeming concern on how their children are behaving in a public forum and handling merchandise that is for sale. Frankly I could never understand why Borders invited folks to come in and eat and cosy up with a book to begin with. Even libraries don’t allow you to eat there. It would never occur to me to purchase a book and then return it. Apparently some folks do though according to the employee sign. Bookstores which allow that should change their policy to reflect policies which apply to CDs and DVDs.
Goodbye Borders, I will miss you.
Ultimately, any store that forgets they are there to serve the public is probably in the wrong business. I spent 15 years in retail (grocery), and there were many frustrating days. We all know there are “those customers”. We were taught that the most important thing we could do is take a customer complaint and do everything in our power to fix it. Because the customer who complains is giving us feedback and a chance to make it right or make a good impression, versus the silent one who just walks out in frustration and never comes back. (picture the customer that wanted a book in a bookstore… and asking a clerk for some help, however vague and not getting it?) If they cannot get help buying a book in a bookstore??? Why go in there? Libraries are free and always able to help.
I could pick apart each point made in the rant (while agreeing), and remind them that the customer they baby is the one who returns and spends, even if not today. I used to replace spoiled food purchased ELSEWHERE, with the reminder that “while you didn’t buy it here, I can assure you that our food is quality.” If we didn’t replace it for the customer, we in effect were sending them BACK to the competitor, instead of keeping them in our store.
Fact is, the public can be a pain to work for, but … work is the operative word, versus none.
I used to get “the cover is this color” questions all the time at a music store I worked at, except about CD art. OH! I would have so much fun with these requests! lol I would say that 9 out of 10 times I would actually know exactly what CD they were talking about (usually bc it was a CD that was popular at the time and I had to look at them all day, everyday). My favorite questions though were the customers who would ask if I knew the artist of a certain song that “has this line in it”. Just for the fun of it I would ask them to sing it for me… I guess my point is, they usually left what they were looking for and I helped them with a smile on my face. I think the person who wrote that was just a “bad egg”.
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