Career Path:

Creating Opportunities to Excel
Kriss Fierro, supervisor
Distribution Center, Monroe, New Jersey

“I literally grew up at Barnes & Noble,” says Kriss Fierro.  “When I first started, I was a young girl and I became an adult here.” 

Kriss’ unique story began when she was a freshman in college and searching for a night job in order to support her mother and younger brother, while also attending school during the day.  She heard about full-time employment with Barnes & Noble from a temp agency and decided to apply.  Kriss joined Barnes & Noble.com in 1999 as a second shift packer at the age of 18.  From her night job, she kept finding new opportunities to grow.  Kriss is now a supervisor at the Distribution Center located in Monroe, NJ.

Back then, our website was just starting up and the growth of our stores was gaining momentum.  Kriss has had the opportunity to grow with the company.  As a second shift packer, she handled books for delivery to customers, and now, as supervisor, she coaches a team of more than 75 booksellers and oversees their workflow. 

Through the years, she picked up many business and life skills from her managers.  She recalls looking to her supervisors for guidance at her job as well as moral support in her personal life. 

Kriss’ development with the company is largely due to her drive to succeed.  To grow herself professionally, Kriss volunteered whenever there were opportunities to cross train in different departments and eventually learned every job in the warehouse.  Along her career path, she developed new skills, from driving a forklift to being responsible for customer returns.       

While she has enjoyed many of her previous positions, she enjoys her current role as supervisor most.  Kriss is proud of what she has accomplished and hopes that she can share what she has learned with others, “Being part of management allows me to apply the confidence I gained to motivate others to succeed and grow in their jobs – the same way my mentors at Barnes & Noble did with me when I first joined the company.”