New Bookseller:

Finding a New Kind of Retail
Kim Ramirez, café lead
Bolingbrook, Illinois

Kim Ramirez paced back and forth while deciding what to do next with her life. Working from behind a desk seemed a dreadful way to live. A life as a photographer could be nice. I love interacting with customers, Kim thought. Then, Kim had a great idea – to turn her memories of family visits to Barnes & Noble and her passion for books into a career. Kim’s attraction to the friendly atmosphere and excellent customer service brought her to our store in Bolingbrook, IL.

Since the store’s opening in April 2007 and Kim’s new position as the café lead, she has been enjoying work rather than dreading it.  As a relatively new bookseller, Kim is getting a feel for the company. The previous retail jobs she held gave her the impression that retail is always taxing, both physically and mentally. Kim says, “I’ve worked in retail for four years before Barnes & Noble and I’ve never been this stress-free. While there are definitely busy times in the café and everything is pretty fast-paced, there’s also enough time to catch up.” 

One of the primary differences Kim finds between Barnes & Noble and her previous employers is the management. Kim says that the management, especially at her store, treats the booksellers with respect and ensures that they have a balanced work life. Kim recalls a small occurrence that makes a world of difference – recently a co-worker had not taken a break all day and when the manager found out, he made sure she had time to go on break.  Kim also appreciates that her manager doesn’t schedule booksellers to open after they close the previous night, saving her and her co-workers from exhaustion.
 
Kim says, “There’s definitely a community within the store that I wasn’t expecting. We have gone out for many meals together, and we’re always willing to help each other out. It’s really amazing that such a diverse group of booksellers work so well with each other and everything comes together and runs smoothly.” 

Kim’s biggest struggles now are trying not to spend her whole paycheck on books and picking between Barnes & Noble Classics, her new favorites, or sci-fi books, her old favorites.