Barnes and Noble Reaction

Prior to our class visit to Barnes & Noble, I was unaware of the amount of time and effort associated with satisfying the wide range of needs for the company’s customers. Over the years I have gone into B& N almost weekly, but never took the time to understand exactly how the company kept the stores in such pristine condition. Following the presentation given by Barnes and Noble employee Terri Walsh, my perspective on the organization altered tremendously.

One of the most interesting things I learned from our visit was the intense monitoring that goes into each book found in the store. I was always under the impression that the publishers simply sent a bunch of books and Barnes and Noble just held onto them until they were sold out. Contrary to my belief, B&N closely monitors the sales of each book and in the event it does not sell, the book is shipped back to the publisher. If in fact the book does not perform, Barnes and Noble either sends it directly back to the publisher or back to their distribution center for re-shipping.

After hearing from Terri Walsh and Dave Maberry, I found myself in shock of how interesting the publishing industry could be. Before this trip, I never took the time to see just how many different aspects of publishing there is and that there is a potential to make a great deal of money. This class trip significantly altered my perceptions of the “book making” business and given reason to research a potential career in publishing.