Nearly Four Decades of Service Jocelyn Fishburne-Ford, store manager Nanuet, New York
In 1973, Jocelyn Fishburne-Ford was in high school and looking for a part-time job. Back in those days, you went to your guidance counselor for help finding work and Jocelyn’s guidance counselor told her about an opening at the Barnes & Noble college bookstore in the Columbia Medical Center. Jocelyn interviewed, and got the job as a part-time cashier. She caught the bookselling bug then, and nearly four decades years later, she still has it.
Throughout the years, Jocelyn managed five Barnes & Noble bookstores, including her current store in Nanuet, NY, and spent a brief time at the Home Office as an assistant bargain buyer. Jocelyn simply loves books and her job, and that love has kept her with the company all these years. She enjoys managing people and the art of selling. “Bookselling is just so natural for me,” she says.
While working at the Columbia Medical Center bookstore three decades ago, Jocelyn received permission from her store manager to act on an idea she had, which was to hand-sell pregnancy and parenting books to women in the Columbia Medical Center’s maternity ward. Proof positive of Jocelyn’s creative selling ability.
Jocelyn’s favorite bookselling moment occurred when a customer approached her during a store event and asked about a book he had seen on TV. He didn’t remember the title. All he knew was that the author was on the show Like It Is, hosted by Gil Noble.
Without skipping a beat, Jocelyn called Channel 7 and spoke with Gil Noble. He told her the name of the author and she passed it along to the customer. But while Jocelyn and Gil Noble were on the phone, he told her about the books he wanted. She sold him a Membership on the phone, and had the books he wanted delivered to him at the ABC studio in New York City via a co-worker’s husband who worked at the network. And in the process, Jocelyn and Gil Noble developed a friendship.
A few years ago, Jocelyn celebrated 35 years of service at Barnes & Noble and described her experiences in the video below (click the Play arrow to view).
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In 1973, Jocelyn Fishburne-Ford was in high school and looking for a part-time job. Back in those days, you went to your guidance counselor for help finding work and Jocelyn’s guidance counselor told her about an opening at the Barnes & Noble college bookstore in the Columbia Medical Center. Jocelyn interviewed, and got the job as a part-time cashier. She caught the bookselling bug then, and nearly four decades years later, she still has it.