Comments on: Bookworld has gone into administration http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/ Not a real vee Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:47:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Gaps in the Mercat « doctorvee http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-1349830 Gaps in the Mercat « doctorvee Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:42:48 +0000 http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/#comment-1349830 [...] unit with two floors. The new Works is probably a third of the size. It occupies the slot that was vacated by Bookworld a couple of years [...] [...] unit with two floors. The new Works is probably a third of the size. It occupies the slot that was vacated by Bookworld a couple of years [...]

]]> By: Louise http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-714585 Louise Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:38:17 +0000 http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/#comment-714585 Bookworld was taken over by the works, they closed down the majority of the shops and kept the more successful ones open. i stayed on when the works took over my shop for a couple of months, when i left they still hadn't bothered to change the signs, probably whats happened in nottingham. Bookworld was taken over by the works, they closed down the majority of the shops and kept the more successful ones open. i stayed on when the works took over my shop for a couple of months, when i left they still hadn’t bothered to change the signs, probably whats happened in nottingham.

]]> By: doctorvee http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-701794 doctorvee Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:06:54 +0000 http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/#comment-701794 No idea Alianora. That is strange. No idea Alianora. That is strange.

]]> By: Alianora La Canta http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-701778 Alianora La Canta Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:00:25 +0000 http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/#comment-701778 If Bookworld has gone into administration, how come there's still a branch open and retailing in Nottingham? Has it been bought out? If Bookworld has gone into administration, how come there’s still a branch open and retailing in Nottingham? Has it been bought out?

]]> By: x-gurl http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-700559 x-gurl Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:34:23 +0000 http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/#comment-700559 reply to all the comments so far: not a brilliant company but so what. work in retail your expecting to be poo'd on. david n haze were nice to me but i knew i was on minimum wage whil they earned £££££ and yes the shops looked crap!!neva mind eh? AAVIN IIITT!!! books VERY cheap for staff. cheaper than they eva shulda been!!!! ;-) reply to all the comments so far:
not a brilliant company but so what. work in retail your expecting to be poo’d on. david n haze were nice to me but i knew i was on minimum wage whil they earned £££££ and yes the shops looked crap!!neva mind eh? AAVIN IIITT!!! books VERY cheap for staff. cheaper than they eva shulda been!!!! ;-)

]]> By: SP http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-692009 SP Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:34:17 +0000 http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/#comment-692009 A friend from my old BW! days told me about this page. Sheffield Peasant has it spot-on. Any real challenges to Flatty got your card marked and soon enough it was impossible to stay working for him. It's nuts how out of date those shops looked in the last few years. I put it down to stubbornness and laziness of thought. Flatty was hard-working but a lazy thinker. A friend from my old BW! days told me about this page. Sheffield Peasant has it spot-on. Any real challenges to Flatty got your card marked and soon enough it was impossible to stay working for him. It’s nuts how out of date those shops looked in the last few years. I put it down to stubbornness and laziness of thought. Flatty was hard-working but a lazy thinker.

]]> By: Sheffield Peasant http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-684245 Sheffield Peasant Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:31:35 +0000 http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/#comment-684245 In response to bibliophile, I worked at the Sheffield branch and when the shop was rebranded as BW! I wrote to David Flatman personally with my concerns that the BW! brand was incoherent. The signage and branding suggested a funky, modern store, but in complete contrast to this, he insisted that we play a set play list from the awful 2 for £5 CDs, which annoyed both staff and customers, but nobody would stand up to DF. I received the obligatory "I know what's best, if you don't like it, get another job" reply so I found alternative employment and left. I bumped into DF a few months later and he boasted that all was going swimmingly. I'm glad i'm not the only one who thinks that that the Flatmans just didn't move with the times, or listen to anyone and I think its for those reasons, rather than Tesco and the internet that it went belly up in the end. In response to bibliophile, I worked at the Sheffield branch and when the shop was rebranded as BW! I wrote to David Flatman personally with my concerns that the BW! brand was incoherent. The signage and branding suggested a funky, modern store, but in complete contrast to this, he insisted that we play a set play list from the awful 2 for £5 CDs, which annoyed both staff and customers, but nobody would stand up to DF. I received the obligatory “I know what’s best, if you don’t like it, get another job” reply so I found alternative employment and left.

I bumped into DF a few months later and he boasted that all was going swimmingly. I’m glad i’m not the only one who thinks that that the Flatmans just didn’t move with the times, or listen to anyone and I think its for those reasons, rather than Tesco and the internet that it went belly up in the end.

]]> By: Anon http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-107688 Anon Wed, 11 Jul 2007 11:54:18 +0000 http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/#comment-107688 I'd like to add to this David Flatman/Bookworld/BW! debate by saying that I agree with the above comments. It was just too risky to challenge David even in a wee way. Later on Rob was similar in his approach. We all saw what happened in large meetings to people who challenged or disagreed with the perceived wisdom. They were left isolated, red-faced and in the doghouse! I’d like to add to this David Flatman/Bookworld/BW! debate by saying that I agree with the above comments. It was just too risky to challenge David even in a wee way. Later on Rob was similar in his approach. We all saw what happened in large meetings to people who challenged or disagreed with the perceived wisdom. They were left isolated, red-faced and in the doghouse!

]]> By: Bibliophile http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-106019 Bibliophile Fri, 06 Jul 2007 23:54:39 +0000 http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/#comment-106019 There have been many negative comments posted but how many of us actually stood up and spoke our minds? We were all 'yes men' in front of the family and higher management and kept our comments for 'staff meetings'. Maybe we were all at fault or just too scared of losing our jobs? What a shame. It happened anyway. There have been many negative comments posted but how many of us actually stood up and spoke our minds? We were all ‘yes men’ in front of the family and higher management and kept our comments for ‘staff meetings’. Maybe we were all at fault or just too scared of losing our jobs? What a shame. It happened anyway.

]]> By: Happy Boy http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/comment-page-1/#comment-104194 Happy Boy Sun, 01 Jul 2007 15:42:02 +0000 http://doctorvee.co.uk/2007/02/12/bookworld-has-gone-into-administration/#comment-104194 Seeing as I hopefully won't get recognised using the Happy Boy name, I can answer this truthfully. No question at all that the main problem was the autocracy he ran. Area managers and shop managers would occasionally offer a serious suggestion contrary to the DF opinion and it would always be shot down in angry coffee-fuelled flames. In the end the choice was "Do I say what needs to be done to save the company, or do I say what DF wants to hear (i.e. his way is always best) so I don't get fired?" I know I could have stood up to him more because he never moved anything forward in 20 years, but if I had I know I would not have been employed for long, and I needed the money. Honestly, the above comments resonate with me because it was easier to suggest minor changes like a sign should be green instead of red, or we should sell 5 for 3 instead of 3 for 2 rather than pointing out the major changes needed to reverse the decline. Having said all that I do feel I worked DF like a puppet to forward my own career most of the time. Managing your own boss is something you need to do in any organisation. Seeing as I hopefully won’t get recognised using the Happy Boy name, I can answer this truthfully. No question at all that the main problem was the autocracy he ran. Area managers and shop managers would occasionally offer a serious suggestion contrary to the DF opinion and it would always be shot down in angry coffee-fuelled flames. In the end the choice was “Do I say what needs to be done to save the company, or do I say what DF wants to hear (i.e. his way is always best) so I don’t get fired?” I know I could have stood up to him more because he never moved anything forward in 20 years, but if I had I know I would not have been employed for long, and I needed the money. Honestly, the above comments resonate with me because it was easier to suggest minor changes like a sign should be green instead of red, or we should sell 5 for 3 instead of 3 for 2 rather than pointing out the major changes needed to reverse the decline. Having said all that I do feel I worked DF like a puppet to forward my own career most of the time. Managing your own boss is something you need to do in any organisation.

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