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7th September 2008

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Waterstone's staff 'Get Selling'

01.02.08 Graeme Neill

Waterstone's is rolling out a compulsory new dress code across all regions as it aims to complete its "Get Selling" staff training scheme by May.

Staff will have the choice of a black t-shirt, button-down shirt, fleece or sweatshirt, with the Waterstone's branding on the front and back. The new clothing is aimed to help customers more easily identify booksellers instore. Currently just under half of Waterstone's 21 regions are wearing the new clothing, with the dress code to be made compulsory in all stores by early summer.

The new branded clothing is part of Waterstone's "Get Selling" programme, aimed at using bookseller knowledge to better match customers to the right book. "It's about selling range," said a Waterstone's spokesperson. "It's about talking to customers and matching them to their perfect book."

The programme has already been implemented across nine regions, with training in the remaining 12 to be completed by May. Branch managers get two days of training, which they pass onto their staff. The scheme was in response to customer research which revealed that shoppers need more help in choosing books throughout the store, not just frontlist titles.

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Comments on this article

By Simon Key

I can't see the correlation betweeen wearing a uniform and getting booksellers selling range. The Get Selling programme is very good in my experience, but the uniform is a very different (and not particularly popular) decision, and should be treated as such.

01 Feb 08 08:56

By Former bookseller

I USED TO WORK FOR Waterstones, and the last time they mooted this idea we were given horrible nylon shirts, and told they were compulsory. Funnily enough, a lot of us left in the next few weeks.....!

01 Feb 08 11:21

By Gary Cummiskey

I cannot imagine that introducing uniforms would motivate staff to start selling books. What about the staff's book knowledge - surely that is a factor involved in increasing book sales?

05 Feb 08 11:50

By A Rep still calling on Waterstones!

Waterstones should concentrate on keeping booksellers otherwise they will have none to dress! I called on branches this week where whole floors had no staff on the shop floor.

08 Feb 08 15:53

By ProperCharlie

I work there. We're not looking forward to it. The last time most of us wore uniforms we were still in school. And short sleeves ... at my age? Time for a move to B&Q?

12 Feb 08 13:50

By from a Berkshire branch

I support the wearing of the 'uniforms' for two reasons: identifying staff (and making sure the younger staff members don't look like they're on their lunch breaks from New Look) and to keep my own clothes from getting worn out. I actually asked to have a few Waterstone's shirts when I started but they were not available - even though I offered to pay for them myself. I don't, however, think that a branded t-shirt (or fleece - sexy...) will do much for sales. Hiring staff that actually read? That would help... what's the point in starting a 'conversation' with the customer if you can't talk about anything but the weather?

12 Feb 08 16:41

By anonisthe1

I too am currently employed under the 'W' and this is yet another move that makes me want to move on. Waterstones really isn't interested in keeping it's knowledgeable booksellers; be they bookseller underlings or dedicated managers. You either give in to the ‘suggestions’ of head office or be told you’re not wanted. I really dislike the way the company is going.

13 Feb 08 12:40

By Phil

Waterstone's have spent a lot of £££ on focus-group research into this area. And the feedback from customers (because, believe it or not, in a retail environment where the aim is to make money, these are the most important people!) is that they find it difficult to find members of staff on the shopfloor. In the short-term I agree that it is difficult to measure the impact of a uniform/dress code on sales, just as it is difficult to work out the effects of a "light drizzle" or "humid weather" on customer spending, but in terms of building up the Waterstone's brand, I think it is invaluable. But most importantly, I think it makes complete sense to roll out the dress code across all branches because it gives the customers what they want. Although I agree that retention of knowledgeable staff is important and that some decisions from Brentford have raised my eyebrow of skepticism in the past, this isn't one of those occasions.

13 Feb 08 16:57

By Alcibiades

Why has the 'W' decided to launch staff uniforms (once again)? The answer is simple. Because in the face of declining sales, rock bottom staff morale, experienced staff and managers leaving, etc. they could not come up with a better or more original remedy! This 'original' idea kept a focus team of one Divisional Manager and accompanying managerial sycophants (all carefully selected from the ranks of those who can't afford to leave) busy for a year or so. The entre much vaunted 'Get Selling' initiative has been greeted right across the company by a big yawn. Most booksellers (especially those of Grade 5 rank who received no pay rise this year) greeted the news with indifference or hostility. When will the lost souls in the Brentford bunker realise that there is no substitute for enthusiasm, reward, book knowledge and of course the 'F' word. Not the one so familiar to Gordon Ramsay and sadly used so frequently these days from the stage at the annual Waterstones Conference, but the word 'Fun'. The Mighty W thrived when staff actually enjoyed coming to work!

13 Feb 08 17:38

By A. Bookseller

I've got no problem at all with having to wear this "uniform" - it is clearly pretty difficult for customers to identify booksellers by the tiny, inevitably scuffed "W" badge we have to wear at present. I think it's a good move that can only help to strengthen the brand. Once again, the criticisms seem to come loudest from the ingrained bookseller snobbery of thinking that somehow their primary job function is something other than selling books to the general public

13 Feb 08 23:36

By Another Former Waterstone's Employee

As a former WS employee, and Ottakar's before that, I think that WS is spending all its time concentrating on the wrong areas. Sure, Uniforms are fine, but no matter how big a sign you wear on your shirt, customers will always ask "Do you work here?" Instead, WS should be scrapping their ridiculous "Do you want Fries with that?" scripting and attitude, and try to keep the valuable and informed members of staff that have been leaving in droves since the Ottakar's days. I loved working for Ottakar's, but WS just took the fun and interest out of it, replacing it with menial tasks, repetitive checklists and computerised ordering leaving no room for specialist or local knowledge.

14 Feb 08 10:15

By anonisthe1

One of the issues that 'uniforms' won't tackle is staffing levels in stores, which is a real problem. Shops run on a skeleton crew mean customers can't find staff no matter what they are wearing. I’ve had an increasing amount of customers complain about the poor staffing levels in stores, not just our own “whole floors without a single member of staff”. You may think this predictable, but as Ottakar’s staffing levels were much higher and so was moral. When will HO realise that happy staff mean hard working staff. After all we are the ones that sell the books to the customers; surely we know what people want on ‘shop-level’. It shouldn’t always be about £££ but maybe that just my naive self talking .

14 Feb 08 10:47

By Emigre

This issue would raise more indignation than ennui in myself if it weren't the latest in a long line of practices that have worn down the bookseller. The uniform, as is seemingly everything these days, is all about Branding. Promoting Waterstone's as a brand, as a label, is the be all and end all to Brentford. But we are not a brand, we are a bookshop, and this fact is slipping further and further from our grasp.

23 Feb 08 12:16

By Mrs Parker

I often like to dress smartly at work, as do many of my colleagues. I would have to wear the fleece because it is freezing for most of the year where I work. I've never dressed like an American college student - why must I start now?

26 Feb 08 11:07

By Mr Parker

Excitement (at the prospect of donning the Versace-designed fleeces and polo shirts) is not the word. I cannot wait! Three cheers for Donatella!

26 Feb 08 11:15

By MisterNobby

Just a sweet-natured response to the 'snobbery' (alleged) of booksellers. The clue is in the title. From my first interview ("There's more to it than working in Safeway!") through the job title itself (bookseller NEVER shop assistant) to the pervading Waterstone's memos and 'ethos' - "our most valuable asset is our knowledgeable staff" we're trained to think of ourselves as more than shop assistants - although a quick scan of the wages (if I had a student loan I still wouldn't be paying it back) might make you think otherwise.

27 Feb 08 12:02

By YBOT

Waterstones is just another brand like "Starfcuks" i work one day a week as well as a office job and thats just fine it pays my council tax each month, but the only draw to Waterstones used to be it paid lousy full time but you could be yourself and were treated with some intelligence, now its lousy pay and your a cog in central marketings plans its way too homogenized.

03 Mar 08 13:14

By A Bookseller

I have worked in the book industry for 10 years now, starting in WHSmiths where we had to wear a full uniform, which I hated. With a passion. I have also worked in Waterstone's and left just before the new uniform was being introduced. (we were going to be one of the trial stores) I now work for another large chain of bookstores where they introduced a similar uniform shirt just last year. On the whole I agree with the idea of a uniform. Having worked both in and out of one, it does help customers identify you. On the other hand as a supervisor I find some customers tend not to respect you or your authority within the store. All in all you are lucky that Waterstone's logo is black and you get to wear nice black shirts. Trying wearing one of our delightful tomato red ones!

03 Mar 08 14:22

By Former Waterstone's Bookseller

Disgraceful. Another fine example of the petty, weak mentality at the top of the chain. To disguise the introduction of a uniform as some kind of sales drive, rather than a simple imposition from above by semi-illiterate, conservative and humourless management is an insult to the intelligence of booksellers and the public. The look of bewilderment on Gerry's face when he finally takes the whole chain under will be priceless. Learn to read, get back to range, stop trying to compete with supermarkets over trash titles, and leave your staff to pick their own shirts before you drive every single employee with a shred of product knowledge and dignity out of your company.

13 Mar 08 14:42

By Ian a former Bookseller

Reps notice it, staff are embarrassed by it and customers never fail to be amazed by it ...the lack of staff in Waterstone's anyway means that even if the company dressed its staff in dayglow yellow, the fact that only TWO of them are working a shopfloor teeming with customers in central London is the real reason why they have no time to "Start selling"...! Get to the nub of the problem Waterstone's, before it is too late.

15 Mar 08 00:18

By Pansy Potter

mmmm Re W staff uniform, I was told today that it was entirely the our own fault by our branch manager that we were being forced to wear a uniform, as " had Gerry seen us wear badges" we wouldnt have had the issue forced upon us.......funny that hes only ever been in our shop once to my knowledge

18 Mar 08 17:04

By Guineapig

As a current ex-level fiver with the prospect of no wage rise for the next 3 or 4 years (and where we are now almost all officially "equal" although those of us who level 5 still have to do all the major tasks) it is blindingly obvious that the company needs to address the problem of why its experienced staff are leaving in droves more than anything else. I'm indifferent about the uniform (except that I wish they would be honest and call it just that rather than 'dress code'.) Get selling is useful for new staff, but insulting for the rest of us, and is nothing more than previous initiatives wrapped in new clothing and with some pointlessly obvious and patronising posters. They're trying to teach us what we all already want to do but cannot do with staffing levels stripped back to the bare bones. I'm off as soon as I can be, leaving a job I essentially love because even if I wanted to stay with a company that has royally shafted me after more than a decade of hard work, I simply can't afford to work here anymore. Put bluntly, for a company that pays such public lip-service about the vital importance of retaining its experienced and knowledgeable staff it's doing nothing to keep them.

29 Mar 08 10:03

By Hannah Beth

tried on a blouse today - nearly got lost. bookselling used to support individuality, similar to music shops - after all, there aren't many jobs that would allow my piercings and tattoos. as for snobbery - i think miss berkshire hunt up there supports that one nicely - what an idiot. i'm nineteen and the way i present myself is commented on regularly by customers - and yes, i shop in new look, shock horror. however, now i am doomed to look exactly the same as everyone else, in ill fitting clothes that make me feel uncomfortable and badly turned out. get selling is just a thinly veiled passing of the buck, we all know where the big W is going, and it starts with a big B. it's just a matter of time, however the more knowledgable staff they push out, the faster this end will come. it's a big shame really, when it was Ottakars my friends were jealous of my weekend job, now i think people are beginning to realise what corporate slimeballs this company really are. i like my job, a lot, and i love helping the public. however, waterstones just guzzles their money and offers little in return. lovely. miss hannah beth from wonderous hastings x

31 May 08 16:27

By June Austin

Welcome to the 'real' world of retail Hannah, where staff are faceless morons whose role is to tow the company line. If you want to talk about guzzling money though and getting little in return, try writing the books !

01 Jun 08 13:29

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