Students as Booksellers: A Perfect Fit

From gaining dedicated and loyal employees, to strengthening community ties, booksellers have found numerous benefits in hiring students and creating volunteer intern positions in their stores.

At Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, California –– where at any given time, 15 percent of the staff are students –– the benefits are mutual. “They like having a job with us for many reasons,” said store president Allison Hill, including a flexible work schedule, an employee discount, and the camaraderie with fellow employees.

Most of Vroman’s student employees stay on staff until they finish school, and some transition to full-time booksellers upon graduation and grow into management positions. Other graduates become “on call” staff members, picking up shifts during busy seasons.

“The students we have hired have tended to be very loyal to the company,” said Hill. Both the store’s current controller and promotional director were part-time high school employees, and returned to the company after leaving for short periods of time.

“[Students] are also in learning mode which means they bring a lot to the table in terms of opinions about topics we should have books on, what they are willing and able to take on, and their enthusiasm for knowledge and subsequently, books,” Hill added. “People who are working and going to school simultaneously have learned to manage their time and multitask –– two skills that serve them well working in a bookstore.”

Andrea Vuleta, executive director of the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association and former general manager of Mrs. Nelson’s Toy and Book Shop in La Verne, California, told BTW that as the store’s manager she was always happy to hire students.

“Companies are always looking for someone with a lot of experience, but for me, it’s better to hire someone that is just starting out. They’re the ones who are ready to embrace your ideas more quickly without preconceived ideas.”

Bookstores can also benefit from having “digital natives” on staff, said Vuleta, which is to say, younger people who, as a result of growing up in a digital world, have a more comprehensive and ingrained knowledge of current technology.

It’s often challenging for booksellers to adopt new technology and new ways to interact with customers, said Vuleta. “It’s easier for young people who have grown up amidst constant advances in technology to adapt to emerging changes in the bookselling industry. They bring a lot to the table in that way, I think.”

Constantly surrounded by their peers, students also have a lot to offer in terms of knowing what is trending, and which contemporary figures are popular in the moment. “I learned a lot having them around,” said Vuleta.

On a personal note, Vuleta added that she remains in touch with all of the high school and college students she hired within the past 20 years.

“They really benefit from that mentor relationship, and you get attached to them, too. It becomes more than just a job in a lot of cases.”

Little Joe’s Books in Katonah, New York, has created several unpaid positions for middle school interns who are interested in volunteering at the store. In addition to gaining help, “it aligns us with the community,” said store owner Jen Cook, adding that the internships have helped the store make friends and customers, as well as strengthen existing relationships with parents and schools.

Older kids would often come into the store and wish aloud that they were able to work here, said Cook. To that end, she put a call out to the community for five middle school interns between the ages of 12 and 14. More than 30 students applied for the positions.

The interns are tasked with jobs across the board –– from receiving books, creating displays, and wrapping gifts, to shelving, cleaning, and dusting. They do most everything that paid employees do, said Cook, except use the register.

“Sometimes they jump in and start handselling, which is totally cool to watch,” said Cook.

The program is on a completely volunteer basis and simply allows the students to gain experience in a bookstore. In return, they are treated like employees on the days they work, which means they are given lunch and are able to use the employee discount. The positions were intended to be a semester-long committment, but all five interns have stayed with Little Joe's in their third semester. As interns, they are only required to work in the store for five days throughout the course of the semester, but most are in the store at least once a week.

“They just do it because they love it,” said Cook. “Many of them want to be writers.”

Though the program is less than a year old, Cook said that she would definitely consider hiring the interns when they are of working age. “They are 13, so it’s early, but they are the very type of people who would love to work in a bookstore, and are good at doing it.

“They feel a sense of ownership of the store,” she added. “It’s cooler than being a customer here.”