In February 2018, Barnes & Noble permanently laid off approximately 1,800 full-time employees, projecting annual cost savings of about $40 million. The cuts came as the bookstore chain reduced its retail presence and struggled against Amazon and broader changes in book retail. The source reports that the layoffs affected full-time store staff and that the company planned to rely more heavily on part-time workers.
TechCrunch characterized the move as effectively replacing the chain’s full-time store workforce with part-time employees earning close to minimum wage. The source estimated that the displaced workers had earned an average of about $22,000 annually, or roughly $11 per hour, while Barnes & Noble’s fiscal 2018 losses reached $17 million. The restructuring illustrated how a major retailer sought to reduce labor costs through employment-status changes, while leaving stores with less experienced and less stable staffing. The source does not identify a court judgment or regulatory enforcement action arising from the layoffs, but the reductions marked a significant labor consequence of the company’s failed retail strategy.
