ABACUS

"As Peter Drucker famously said, "If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it." In the case of running a bookstore, even when you measure it, it’s not enough. Being able to compare your financials to industry averages allows you to utilize your data in a more meaningful way. When I was a bookseller, the release of the ABACUS survey results was an opportunity for me to carve out some time to dig into my store’s financials, compare them to industry averages, and reveal areas of our business that needed a closer look. ABACUS became part of my financial review and provided critical data for my strategic planning."
—Allison Hill, ABA CEO

"The information we receive from ABACUS has always been helpful and interesting, especially when we are looking at possible changes to our stores, involving inventory, location, staffing and other challenges. The ABACUS survey gives us an opportunity to look closely at the financial health of our own bookstores, while keeping an eye on the industry at large."
—Glenda Childs, Owner, Doylestown & Lahaska Bookshops

"ABACUS not only helps me run my business better — I share it with my bookkeeper, landlord, and staff — but it also allows ABA to illustrate to our industry partners the economic realities of indie bookstore operations, and helps everyone work on how to reduce our costs and sell more books all around."
— Jamie Fiocco, Former ABA President, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

"Eight years ago when I was looking into buying my store, ABACUS was an essential tool in my decision-making. I was able to compare the store's numbers to the industry averages. Having this information gave me the confidence I needed to take this literal life-changing step of becoming a bookstore owner. Since then, I continue to turn to ABACUS every year (and often throughout the year) to provide myself with a clear snapshot of my store's financial position, especially as it relates to other successful bookstores. The time invested in filling out the ABACUS survey is worth every second — and it's really not that hard! It is time well-spent both for your own store as well as helping other stores to evaluate their positions. Do it in the spirit of collegiality!"
— Susan Hans O'Connor, Owner, Penguin Bookshop, Sewickley, Pennsylvania

"I've been completing the ABACUS survey and using the results every year since I bought Red Balloon in 2011. It is such an important planning tool for me, and now that the results are coming back earlier, it is even more helpful. These numbers give me more perspective on how our bookstore is doing and helps our bookstore set financial goals for the coming year. Thank you, ABA, for doing this survey every year!"
— Holly Weinkauf, the Red Balloon

Completing the ABACUS reporting is one of those rare tasks that pays off over and over again. The reporting is robust and flexible. I find myself looking at different aspects of the business throughout the year, and I use ABACUS to see how we compare to our peers and to help my leadership team understand what we need to improve upon.
— Melissa DeMotte, The Well-Read Moose, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

I’m grateful that we have the opportunity to participate in and benefit from ABACUS. It allows us to look at financial and operational benchmarks set by our colleagues around the country, look at our own performance, and ask, ‘Why is this different?’ I can say with confidence that we’re a much healthier store today than we would be without ABACUS.
— Andy Perham, Books Inc., San Francisco, California

We have found the data from ABACUS to be very helpful in planning and budgeting for the upcoming year. Importantly, it can give us some insight into areas we should investigate for further growth or cost savings. Submitting to the survey has gotten easier over the years -- I think this might have been the easiest one yet.
— Jenny Cohen and Muir Cohen, Waucoma Bookstore, Hood River, Oregon