Barnes & Noble has briefly closed over 400 of their 627 U.S. shops in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As differing steering is issued throughout the nation, the bookselling large confirmed that they’re working with state and native officers to find out subsequent steps to greatest shield prospects and workers.
photograph from Wikimedia Commons
In a letter despatched to Barnes & Noble’s 23,000+ workers on March 17, previous to closing nearly all of their shops, CEO James Daunt warned that layoffs could also be inevitable. “With the closure of shops, we’re obliged to make the toughest of decisions,” Daunt warned, including that Barnes & Noble doesn’t have the sources essential to proceed paying workers as different firms have promised, together with Apple, Nike, Patagonia, and REI. “It is a devastating state of affairs wherein to seek out ourselves and we perceive the non-public impacts of such motion.”
Daunt warned workers that as shops closed, workers with lower than six months of employment can be laid off. Different workers can be first requested to make use of obtainable paid time without work, after which these employed at Barnes & Noble for at the very least one yr might obtain as much as two further weeks of pay. “When a closed retailer is permitted to reopen, we are going to achieve this, and we intend to rehire.”
In a public assertion, Barnes & Noble inspired prospects to make the most of on-line ordering choices, whereas additionally sharing that shops remaining open are prioritizing buyer and worker security by implementing enhanced cleansing and hygiene protocols. Many shops, together with people who have closed to the general public, proceed to supply curbside pick-up of orders.
Layoffs Starting at Closed Shops
As over 400 shops briefly shut throughout the nation, layoffs have already begun. Workers who’ve labored at Barnes & Noble for lower than six months have been furloughed on the time their retailer areas closed, no matter title. Workers with an extended tenure are using paid time without work.
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Aidan* started working at a New Jersey Barnes & Noble location final October, 5 months earlier than a statewide “keep at house” order compelled the shop to shut. “I bought a name from certainly one of my managers saying that I and each different worker that had been employed lower than six months in the past can be laid off, and that after they knew that they have been going to reopen, they might name me and I’d be rehired,” Aidan shared in an interview with E-book Riot.
However even earlier than layoffs started, Aidan already suffered from decreased shifts. On March 15, “I got here in and noticed that our retailer hours have been being shaved down. Certainly one of my managers talked to all of the booksellers individually about how she was making an attempt to maintain folks’s shifts, however that hours can be lower.”
Now, Aidan is among the many over 150,000 New Jersey residents submitting for unemployment, a rise of two,000% over the identical week final yr. And though Congress’s latest stimulus bundle allocates cash to assist state unemployment funds, it’s unclear how lengthy it can take for that cash to achieve out-of-work New Jerseyites’ pockets.
Adherence to Security Requirements Varies by Retailer
On the subject of COVID-19 protocols in open shops, Barnes & Noble workers report combined messages from headquarters, regional management, and particular person retailer administration. Courtney*, a Barnes & Noble worker based mostly in Missouri, informed E-book Riot that doorways stay open, and security precautions aren’t being commonly taken by prospects or managers of her retailer. “[Corporate has] left rather a lot as much as particular person shops to implement. And that’s nice in relation to what books are promoting in your area, however the grey space throughout a pandemic just isn’t.”
Whereas particular person shops have obtained steering from headquarters on cleansing protocols and social distancing suggestions for purchasers, enforcement is as much as particular person retailer administration. At Courtney’s retailer, adherence to suggestions is minimal. “Company mandates we clear the doorways, so we do. However there’s nothing about cleansing registers or counter tops or keyboards and contact screens, so it simply isn’t finished except certainly one of us decides, ‘Hey, that ought to be finished.’”
Enforcement of social distancing for purchasers is much more lax. Courtney studies that, though chairs have been faraway from studying areas and the cafe at her retailer has been closed, prospects proceed to go to the shop and linger in public areas. “There are only a few prospects who truly are taking precautions. Others don’t appear to care or perceive that there’s a virus that we might catch. They stand as near us as potential, whilst we take nice care to place distance between us, and cough into the air. With such mild foot site visitors anyway, I don’t see the purpose in being open to folks to stroll round who might doubtlessly put booksellers in danger.”
At storefronts that stay open, some workers have chosen to not come to work out of concern and are utilizing obtainable paid time without work. Others, even some which can be at larger danger of contracting COVID-19, proceed coming to work out of concern of unemployment. Courtney shared that she and plenty of colleagues would really feel extra comfy persevering with to work if shops moved to pick-up solely and cease accepting money funds. “I need us to have the ability to proceed doing enterprise, however not on the expense of all of us right here.”
Are Bookstores Important?
As many cities and states obtain directives to shelter in place, constituents are left unsure about what companies are deemed important or non-essential. The U.S. Division of Homeland Safety issued steering on what industries and staff are thought of important, highlighting industries like well being care, meals and agriculture, public works, and extra. Nevertheless, the broad steering deferred to state and native governments for additional delineation of important companies of their particular person directives.
This leaves many booksellers confused as as to if their shops can stay open. Whereas some directives explicitly title bookstores as non-essential companies, others are ambiguous in relation to promoting books. Courtney’s retailer in Missouri is in an space beneath a 30 day shelter-in-place order. Managers have to this point claimed Barnes & Noble is an important enterprise, permitting them to stay open with decreased hours till instructed in any other case by native officers.
“When [CEO Daunt] provides interviews about how important books are, he leaves out something about booksellers being important,” Courtney mentioned. “I really like books too, however they aren’t important throughout a pandemic, and not one of the booksellers are much less necessary than a guide.”
At Aidan’s retailer in New Jersey, the state “keep at house” order allowed for much less ambiguity. The record of important companies contains particular industries and companies, and booksellers aren’t part of the record. “Certainly one of my associates works at a Barnes & Noble in Virginia and his retailer hasn’t closed but, so I feel it’s protected to imagine that they wouldn’t have closed in the event that they weren’t informed to,” mentioned Aidan of their retailer’s closure.
Many Barnes & Noble areas which have closed because of native ordinances proceed to supply curbside decide up for on-line orders. These orders enable a small variety of workers to proceed working whereas sustaining a protected distance from prospects and guaranteeing time for shops to disinfect surfaces.
Turbulent Instances for Barnes & Noble
The closure of over half of Barnes & Noble’s shops comes solely seven months after the corporate was acquired by the U.Ok.-based bookstore chain Waterstones. Daunt was appointed as Barnes & Noble CEO at the moment, and has since targeted on making shops smaller and extra intimate to supply the same environment to unbiased bookstores.
As Amazon’s buyer base has expanded, conventional bookstores like Barnes & Noble have seen a downturn in market shares. Bookselling chain Borders closed all areas in 2011, and Waterstones skilled the same downturn on the identical time, prompting them to deliver Daunt on board. His efforts to create a extra intimate buyer expertise turned the corporate round to make a revenue inside 4 years.
Daunt’s March 17 letter assured workers that Barnes & Noble was financially robust previous to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas gross sales have been down considerably on the time of writing, the corporate had “effectively inside what we have to stay worthwhile.” In truth, Dial shared that on-line gross sales and kids’s guide gross sales have been truly above common.
Together with value reductions on the firm’s headquarters, Daunt hopes layoffs and decreased retailer hours can preserve the corporate afloat via large retailer closures. “We intend to rehire. We hope that as few as potential might be mandated to shut and that any closures are momentary. I’m assured that we will carry the corporate via this disaster by taking such resolute actions. It’s terribly painful and, as soon as once more, I specific my honest appreciation for the dedication [employees] are demonstrating.”
*Names have been modified to guard the identification of these interviewed.
