It Gets Worse
This email from Leanne got me thinking about the situation that I went through:
“Just wanted to let you know about my bookstore closing. Hope you can make comic out something. I have worked for Waldenbooks, Brentanos & then Borders. In 2009 I saw a regional bookstore was coming to my hometown. I applied immediately & was hired to be the G.M. I opened the store on 7/17/09. We had some great days, many good days & then some REALLY bad days. On Feb. 2, 2011, there was a huge blizzard. I went to work and had 1 customer all day. I stayed until 4 pm (my DM told me I needed to stay until closing at 8). Opened the next day even though there was a 6 foot drift at the back door and no parking. Still hardly any customers. (the usual’s that lived in the area & could walk to the store). Then in May I received a call from my DM that she & the VP of store operations would be stopping by. You guessed it……they were closing the store. The last day was 6/30/2011. And of course as soon as the Going out of Business signs went up the vultures came out. You know all about that. So I opened and closed a store, only 3 employees were left by the end. My DM came down to help and spent the last hour there vacuuming a building that has now sat empty for 2 years. The best is for last. As I left the store for the very last time (through the back door). I stepped out the door, glanced to my left just in time to see a man peeing against the dumpster. My last and final memory. Hope you enjoy and hope to see one of my adventures in the funny pages.
Thanks for your great comic. I love it and see things there everyday that bring me back to my book selling days.
Leanne”
What struck me in Leanne’s email was how, just as soon as the closing store signs went up, all the people came out of the woodwork. Not only did we have a crazy, busy holiday season, it was impacted by the vultures AND all the coworkers dropping out to find more steady work.
Thanks for the email, Leanne. It’s good to see others who’ve gone through this situation and survived.
