Border's Bookstores Responds

Email | 9-16 | BlueNold

[BlueNgold]

I wrote to Border's regarding the comments found on BordersUnion.org about Unfit for Command.

Their Response: Thank you for contacting us with your concerns about postings at www.bordersunion.org.

First, I'd like to stress that as a company, Borders is absolutely apolitical. We take no stance whatsoever, and for over 30 years we have been committed to our customers' right to choose what to read and what to buy. Our stores are highly regarded for featuring a very deep and diverse selection of titles in hundreds of subject areas--including politics--representing a wide range of thought.

We take great measures to communicate this on an ongoing basis to employees and to emphasize the importance of not expressing political viewpoints while working in our stores. In fact, Vin Altruda, the President of Borders Stores Worldwide, has personally communicated strongly to all employees that it is not appropriate to share their personal political viewpoints in any way while at work- through conversations with other employees or customers, by wearing T-shirts or buttons of a political nature, or by taking any actions to express a political viewpoint.

That said, with more than 32,000 employees worldwide, it is challenging to manage the actions of each individual. And of course we cannot control what employees say or do on their own time outside of working in our stores. This includes posting their thoughts on websites that are not associated with our company. It is important to note that the site you've referred to is not accessible to our employees at work, nor are any of the statements on it a reflection of our company policy.

Of course, we realize that this particular posting is claiming that an employee has taken actions of a political nature while on the job. At the current time we have no evidence that any inventory in our stores has been diverted or destroyed by an employee. I assure you that this type of behavior would not be tolerated under any circumstances. Should we become aware of specific actions and can verify that a specific individual has indeed taken these actions, we will certainly take appropriate disciplinary action.

On the subject of the book "Unfit for Command," it is in Borders stores and continues to be a top-seller. The publisher of this particular book underestimated the popularity of the title and therefore did not print enough copies to meet the initial consumer demand. Although it has been challenging for Borders to secure a continuous supply of this book, we are working with the publisher to meet ongoing demand and are doing our best to assure that our stores have appropriate quantities in stock .

[BJungNan]

The Borders Employees Union response was a little (okay, a lot) less well put.

Borders Union Responds to Borders 'Unfit' Controversy
Says Borders Unfit, Tells Blogosphere to have a nice day

[Calvin Locke]

I have always preferred Border's to 'B. . . the other one.

Howie Carr did an hour a couple of weeks ago on obtaining locally, "Unfit". It turned in to an hour of unpleasant
bookstore stories in general.

The most memorable was a parent and kid ask a clerk "...comic books?". The haughty, annoyed response was "They are
called 'graphic novels', and they are over there."

[JeffAtlanta]

What would you have them do??

When I worked retail in high school and college, my company had "secret shoppers". They were HQ employees that visited the stores posing as regular customers which enabled them to make sure proper procedures were being followed. At least one person from our store was fired due to a secret shopper observing inappropiate behavior.

Borders as a corporation probably doesn't have a liberal bent, but let's face it, people who work in bookstores (and coffee shops) do overwhelmingly lean liberal.

If Border's is serious about projecting a non-political image, then they should employ the secret shopper technique to make sure that their employees are actually spending their time at work being employees rather than activists.

[weegee]

Lengthy thread here:

Little Suppressors - Dealing with the bookstore clerk who hates you

[weegee]

Borders as a corporation probably doesn't have a liberal bent

Same argument used by the left to claim the media is by nature conservative. Corporations and their heads can be liberal.

[TheOtherOne]

Yes they do. An employee said they did it. That's evidence.

You are kidding right. An anonymous posting on some Internet site is evidence of what to you? You have to be a little more critical that that. It is evidence that someone made a posting, but not evidence that anything actually happened. I am sure they will look for that evidence.

What would you have them do, based on an Internet posting? Start questioning 32,000 employees? C'mon

[kevkrom]

Yes they do. An employee said they did it. That's evidence.

To be fair, someone who claims to be an employee said they did it. That's hearsay at best, not evidence.

[Walkingfeather]

has borders done an audit of the number of conservetive authors books that are returned to their publishers due to damage?

[Taliesan]

An anonymous post on an internet board is evidence of nothing. The response you got is well done, and they will probably investigate the postings, but they will not tell you or me they are doing it.

You can't ask for anything else.

[TnMomofTwo]

Secret shoppers...not a bad idea. Unfortunately, not necessarily always effective. If each store is open 10 hours a day and has 10 employees working the entire day, that is potential 100 hours of "face time" with customers per store. It only takes one or two minutes of one "bad seed" employee to do what was discussed on the bordersunion website. I liken it to what President Bush or Secretary Ridge says about fighting terror, the terrorists only have to be right once...we have to be right all the time. The Borders Mgmt faces similar prospects...and I think their corporate resources would be wasted on trying to rein in idiots...and our energies would be better spent trying to convert the liberal idiots rather than trying to get them fired or punished or whatever and giving them another reason to cry "I'm a victim"... JMO...

[CyberAnt]

But it alludes to the fact that they don't consider policing 32,000 employees as a priority.

Every manager of every store can set a strict policy - and then enforce it.

[Repub4bush]

I think someone should Freep the Border's they deem suspicious. Go in find the clerk that looks liberal (easy to spot) and say hey man i need a copy of "Unfit for Command". If they say :oh, we are out". Then say, man I really need for a blog I am doing to discredit the Swift boat guys. Are you sure you can't find me one? I have been everywhere, and i need to get this on the web now!
Make sure you have your handy dandy hidden tape recorder going! :)

[TnMomofTwo]

Exactly. And, most of us wouldn't want it any other way. I wouldn't want my employer to discipline me for comments I make here that some liberal might deem inappropriate. And yes, I do realize the comparison isn't apples to apples, but hopefully the point comes through anyway.

[Straight Vermonter]

Two years ago I walked into the downtown Border's bookstore at Christmas time and found myself facing at an enormous display of gay erotica. Never again.

[mlo]

It is "evidence". I didn't say it was "proof". The two are not the same concepts.

They should follow up the evidence they have however they can, but they are wrong to say there isn't any "evidence".

[jpl]

Corporations and their heads can be liberal.

With a perfect example being the major Hollywood Studios. I'm still waiting for a real movie about 9/11 to come out with a pro-American, patriotic bent. It would make the company millions, but they won't make it.

[1stMarylandRegiment]

Amazon. 16 hours keyboard to desktop. $1.47 less than Borders, including overnight shipping, when local Sales Tax considered.

[Slainte]

At a local borders here in Madison (I have no idea if we have more then one) they had tons of Unfit For Command.

I had a similar experience at Barnes & Noble in Minneapolis. I went in expecting to get the run around, but there was a stack of them displayed on the table just inside the door. Sort of took the wind out of my sails.

Good for their bottom line though. I also picked up a copy of "If it's Not Close they Can't Cheat" as well as a copy of "The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy Handbook" for a co-worker.

[BibChr]

I used to take my little boys to Borders' story time. The guy who did it really was terrific.

But once, he wore this T-shirt, that said, "Love is what separates us from the Republicans." (He's a government-school teacher, natch.)

I complained, was listened to nicely.

He wore it again. And, I think, again.

Dan

[JeffAtlanta]

Secret shoppers...not a bad idea. Unfortunately, not necessarily always effective. If each store is open 10 hours a day and has 10 employees working the entire day, that is potential 100 hours of "face time" with customers per store.

True, the secret shoppers don't catch everyone, but it does instill a sense of supervision. Once the word gets around that the company is going to use secret shoppers and that any employee caught politicizing the store will be fired immediately, the problem will mostly be solved. The management at the store should also be held responsible and let go if the problem becomes chronic.

When I worked for a subsidiary of Delta Airlines, a gate agent was observed violating the selection order of standby passengers by the CEO. The gate agent put some of her at the front of line. When the CEO approached her, he did not identify himself as a Delta employee but did protest that the priority system was not being followed. She basically told him "old man, sit down. This is my job and I'll tell you when you can get on this flight." He went at found a supervisor and told him to take over the gate and promptly fired the gate agent. I always wondered if the story was accurate, but in any event, the episode did keep the gate agents in line.

Since Border's does have a union, I wonder if the collective bargaining agreement expressly forbids the use of secret shoppers.