Horrendous - Shop Assistant Bookends Employee Review

1.0
Feb 16, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Staff discount, easy job to do

Cons

Management are awful, poor workplace culture where concerns are ignored. The owners have been overheard on a number of occasions being rude about other members of staff but most likely no one reported it because then they would be forced to leave by being made to feel so targeted by management, or they will be “let go”. Also, if you don’t stay later than your shift end time, they complain you don’t work hard enough. Several members of staff were brought to tears on a number of occasions by management. Management gang together to intimidate you if you make a mistake and don’t offer constructive feedback. Staff turnover is incredibly high due to these issues. Don’t work there unless you want to work extremely hard for a basic job, get picked on constantly for minor details and be completely and utterly under-appreciated. Hardly any progression and if you apply for a specific job role, don’t be surprised if you end up doing something different!

Explore other reviews about Bookends

5.0
Sep 3, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Nice environment, appreciated by the boss.

Cons

Face mask are required, customers are unhappy with kids in tow

1.0
Mar 27, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good pay (still not worth it), apart from the pay there are no benefits. They will say tea and coffee are benefits - ha!

Cons

The manager has no idea how to run a company. Staff turnover is ridiculously high but they will deny it. They often fire people with no valid reason. They have no trust in any employees, all of your work will be checked and triple checked. Internal emails are rude and condescending. Employees are often burnt out and pushed to point of tears. The systems set in place are convoluted and waste time. They don’t like employees talking, which means you never get to know your colleagues. They will watch you on cameras and use this against you. Honestly, just stay away from here for your own sanity.

2
Bookends Response
2mo
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are sorry to hear that your experience did not meet expectations. We take all feedback seriously and use it to reflect on and review experiences across the business. CCTV is in place for security and safety purposes only and is not used to monitor staff performance or day-to-day activity. Given the nature of our work, we operate structured quality controls to ensure accuracy, consistency, and reliability. We are proud of our long-standing team members and those who have returned after time away, reflecting continuity within the business. We continue to review feedback as part of our ongoing commitment to improving how we operate and support our valued team.
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