11.10.09

A Holistic Approach to Bookselling Yields Satisfying Results

From Wendy Werris' 11.09.09 article in Publishers Weekly:

Diesel’s bookselling philosophy, which aims to be casual and professional at the same time, is holistic. “We wanted to create a work environment that’s mentally healthy,” says Evans, “a collaborative effort where people are paid decent wages, have a health plan and can radiate into the community. We ask each employee to bring their whole self to work.” Without the constraints of a traditional workplace pecking order, and with just a few exceptions, Diesel’s 20 employees all multitask and participate in receiving, returns, shelving, and customer service. Eventually everyone takes their turn at being manager of one of the stores. Adds Evans, “Our customers are a part of the stores, too. Whether they’re hyper-literate or trying to be literate, they can stand around together and tell the other a joke.”

-- Read the full article.