Case studies : Bookseller: Tamsin Drew

Tamsin completed a BA in English Literature at The University of Sheffield and now works as a bookseller at a small branch of a major bookshop chain.

Following graduation I worked in a few different roles, but they were all front facing and customer service. When I moved back to my hometown, I applied for a position in my local bookshop.

My degree is extremely relevant, as a knowledge and interest in books is essential. It also helps that I had already gained some customer service experience.

My working day tends to include a combination of counter service, floor work and back-of-house work. Counter service duties include serving customers, answering queries, searching databases, handling money, giving refunds, answering telephone, placing orders and liaising with publishers. Floor work involves maintaining stock, recommending titles to customers, arranging displays and changing the current sales offers. Back-of-house work consists of unpacking deliveries, loading products into system, collecting and boxing returns and cashing up.

When I started in this role I was always on the counter serving customers, but over time I have gained extra responsibilities. Now I place large orders, coordinate offer changeovers, give refunds and cash up. I like the role that I do but if there was a chance to move into a management role in a local store, I would consider applying.

During my degree I gained a broad knowledge of literature and this enables me to better help customers as I have a good understanding about different types of writing. I find having a good knowledge of genres, periods of literature, writing styles and specific authors makes it easier to assist customers in their searches and choices. Studying literature also increased my love of reading and I think enthusiasm for books can be infectious.

One of the things I like most about the role is making recommendations to customers. It’s very satisfying when a customer leaves happy. I also enjoy the teamwork at the store; it's a very small shop so getting on is important. I love helping out at events like book signings and at our local book festival.

Dealing with rude customers and complaints is a challenging aspect of the job and requires patience and good humour at times. Finding obscure titles can also be a bit difficult but is often an enjoyable aspect of the job.

The sector is constantly changing and there are always new books to read and recommend. It is important to keep up to date with recently published books so that you are well-informed. Also, these days customers expect more from their shopping experience, so it’s fun to think of new ways to engage them.

Having a degree does not mean you are automatically entitled to a higher salary than employees without one. Bookseller is not a highly paid position but the personal job satisfaction more than makes up for it. If money is important, then consider getting into management positions. Promotions are always available but it may mean moving to different stores/towns.