Thread regarding Follett layoffs

I truly believe they set us up to fail. Everything is chaos and nobody is happy. The schools are getting alot of complaints and I see alot of canceled contracts coming. This used to be such a fun company to work for, it's so sad to see what it has become.

Experienced Store Manager here..... so the problem with all the temps is that (when they show) they still don't have the experience needed to do the basics. So as the ONLY regular employee, I am bogged down all day answering questions and fixing issues that temps can't. On top of that, still trying to do all the other duties: processing soda, opt outs (Access), prepping for sports, shipping and receiving, answering emails from students and faculty, etc. It's just too much. The work keeps piling up with no end in site. I did happen to get lucky with a couple good temps, but try training them when you constantly get interrupted is near impossible. On top of that, every complaint goes to my campus contact who shows up several times a day to find out what the issue is and how I'm going to resolve it.

Follett has set us up to fail. I'm done ki-ling myself for a company that doesn't provide me the tools to get my job done.

Sales are flat in my Market Group thanks to enrollment increases and ACCESS but several of the campuses are livid over customer service issues.

CM3 here. I've technically been in rush for almost 6 weeks because my stores have started on different weeks. I still have 2 weeks to go. My MLs are losing their minds, one called me crying, working her 21st day in a row. She was on her 14th hour that day, which has been her normal for months now. One of my store managers burst into tears talking to me when I asked if she was okay. She said she's so behind she doesn't see any way she'll ever get caught up. All of her temps either didn't show up or quit, so it's just her, her ASM, a team lead, and a cashier on each shift. She is also working 10 - 14 hours a day. The RM had to come do SODA for two of my stores because there was literally no one else to do it with so many students coming in. I haven't worked less than 10 hours a day since July. One of the new SLs already quit, and the other new one is on the verge. My inbox is stuffed with faculty from 12 campuses royally pi---d off that their students can't get their course materials in a timely fashion, or don't understand how their own damn courseware works. I'm trying my damndest to stay on top of reordering and clearing out backorders from SODA that aren't coming, as well as exceptions from eBooks suddenly no longer available from publishers because the stores really don't have the time to weed all that stuff out. I have 3 EA stores that didn't get all their materials on time because we had so many publishers that had us on credit hold for weeks during peak ordering, or AP not paying the proforma orders. I've been on site to all but two of my twelve stores and it looks like a bo-b went off in all of them because there's just so much to unpack/receive and no one has time to do it.

So it's going swimmingly. If by swimmingly you mean we're all in the deep end and barely able to doggypaddle. I will definitely be doubling down on my job search once I get all my stores through rush.

Curious, I checked out my old store's google site. The one I maintained is no longer there. When I left (May) there were multiple reviews with over 4 rating, updated hours and recent pictures. It is no longer there. The only site I found was older reviews and incorrect hours. Including the bookstore being open tomorrow and Monday. I heard the bookstore closed early today and will be closed until Tuesday (the college is not going to like that). After being closed this weekend... Tuesday is going to be like first day of rush all over again.
The Bookstore website site still has summer hours listed. No fall hours and no notice of holiday closing. I wonder if the new manager is planning to stay with summer hours through the school year?
This is first week of classes and they are falling apart quickly. From what I hear, students are missing books and being told by ML to order them from alt. sources. They cannot use their FA/scholarship funds from alt. sources. Administrators and faculty are already already reaching out and questioning why students are not able to get their books. Next week it will be parents calling. This is not going to end well.
My campus contact was happy with the bookstore as long as he did not need to become involved. He never had any concerns from us, only positive communications. I'm sure that will not be the case this year.
And yes. I hope the Ivory Tower, RMs and GVPs are reading these comments. This is your mess! Not CSLs. Not Store Managers. Not the CM3s. And not the MLs. This is completely on the upper management. Even the inexperienced should have known this would be an epic failure. But maybe this was their plan all along.

Oh my goodness! There IS a new Google review for our store that is glowing! Complete with pictures strategically taken so as not to show the boxes of merchandise or books that haven’t been put away yet. Lol, but there are 2 really bad reviews from actual customers from just today!

Lol...how bad is it when the Store Manager has to post a positive review on Google for his own store!!!
🤣🤣

90+ pages in the queue. Only one person who knows how to confirm and do receiving and they just got a terrible review. This person is limited to only 40 hours per week and will not be working over the 3 day holiday weekend so orders will just pile up. Another manager from before just got demoted and a pay cut and hours cut. During rush. How can you demote and cut hours during rush when the store is so far behind? And the new store manager and market leader aren’t working because they have to save their hours for the weekend football game and festivities. Merchandise is all over the floor. Books haven’t been received and are piling up in the back. Employees calling the former managers (those that had been laid off) to ask for help and advice. RM is nowhere to be found. Tears, frustration, on the verge of walking. It’s hard to watch.

2nd week of rush and we have 2 team lead, 2 team members, 2 temps and 1 fired employee made into a temp at $20 an hr. Store manager quit and have a Campus Leader who has never worked in a bookstore. Market Leader is already running around to his 3! Stores 😕, house accts not created, textbooks not ordered, codes not working, backordered e-follett. Just your typical day at Foller Higher Education aka money pit.

Be very careful as this could be a we---e from the Ivory Tower wondering if the supervisors beneath are not providing the truth and the whole truth. Personal assessment is that is has been a very stressful time for many and resignations will follow in days.