July 1995: Waldensoftware
In 1993 Electronics Boutique entered an agreement with Borders to manage their Waldensoftware line of stores.
Waldensoftware being the software counterpart to Waldenbooks.
We were told that Elbo would be running the stores but they would still be owned by Borders.
Our store, being an outlet location, started receiving clearance merchandise
from a few Waldensoftware stores so we suspected there was more to the arrangement than a simple consultation.
Eventually, Elbo would formally buy-out the Waldensoftware chain and convert them to EBGames.
When this agreement started a few experienced Elbo store managers were promoted to "area manager" and given oversight of 1-2 Waldensoftware locations.
An "area manager" would manage their store four days a week and spend the
fifth traveling to one of their other stores.
This was different than the "district manager" who didn't run a store day-to-day and
traveled 4 days a week.
The manager of our store was promoted to this new "area manager" position and assigned two stores in Wisconsin.
One of these two Waldensoftware stores didn't take the arrangement well.
The employees at the Bayshore Mall location grew increasingly unhappy and all quit
(except for one guy who only worked Sundays and didn't care who was in charge).
A team of several full-time employees from a couple Elbo stores were asked to take rotational duties working at that store until a new staff could be assembled.
Being the geographically closest, but by not means "close", I was asked to go there for a few weeks.
I thought it sounded like an interesting change of pace so I agreed.
Earlier in year I had to briefly work at the Elbo in Lincolnwood Mall
after most of the staff was fired for some undisclosed corporate violation. There's not much to say about that store except that
it's extremely small. It's also the last store in the area I'm aware of that
still uses the old-school Electronics Boutique signage (as of April 2006).
If anyone thinks I'm joking about Waldensoftware staff revolts then take a look at this post I dug up from
Google groups
(9/1993):
WaldenSoftware and Electronic Boutique...unholy union!
Okay maybe it isnt a 'unholy union' but thats what the manager of my local
WaldenSoft was saying as he is forced to remove all his business applications
and precious books and replace them with a comprehensive title library for
video game systems as well as current releases for computers.
It seems that WaldenSoftware's parent company 9same as WaldenBooks)
has entered into an 18-month agreement with Electronics Boutique for EB
to take over management of its stores. The end result being a more EB like
store with emphasis on entertainment rather than business/institutional
computing. Also EB has an option to bid for the Walden stores at the
end of the 18-month period if it wants to fully take them over. [editors
note: this is an accurate description of the situation]
This was all heard from listening into the manager gripe while saying things
like "video games... computer games...I dont play the things. I really
dont have times for the stuff" I am most pleased by the change as WaldenSoft
is really the ONLY (aside from Best buy's pathetic selection) place to
get entertainment software around here. It was becoming annoying hearing
about new releases on internet and having to wait for about a month
for our 'software' store to get more than 2 copies in (which left the
store before hitting the shelves) Last night they had just finished
putting out Wing commander Academy, which was flying off the shelf btw,
and had set up fact-sheets and boxes for DarkSun Privateer and others with
current releases dates above them.
Most retail managers I've known take their jobs way too seriously, even calling them a "career".
Someone managing a Wal-Mart or Home Depot can go ahead and call it a "career" but the dude making $12 an
hour at the mall can't. You should take your job seriously if it's a serious job.
Here's a quick test: if you quit your job how long will it take to hire and train a replacement?
The real issue though is that many are just completely resistant to any kind of change in life.
That's why they work the same job they had in high-school, live at home, and throw a temper-tantrum
when new management takes over their store. The first paragraph of this posting absolutely nails it dead-on.
It's worth noting again that this wasn't a buyout at this point.
Waldensoftware was still owned by the Borders Group.
I was reminded of this early on when one of our first hires was abruptly terminated
by their loss presentation team for abusing the employee discount.
July rolled around and I was asked to permanently work at the Waldensoftware store as an assistant manager. The store was a
pretty hefty drive to make five days a week but I saw this as some kind of step-up in the world. Some
misinformed part
of my mind thought this might be the path to better things.
The salary seemed OK but now I wouldn't work for three times that amount.
Over the previous three years I met a lot of "career" retail
employees and they also suffered from delusions of having an important job. The "manager" part of their title
gave them a feeling of power and relevance. I was suffering from a little bit of that myself.
