Over the past week, Shelf Awareness has examined how independent bookstores in Seattle, Wash., have adjusted to the city's rising minimum wage over the past several years. Seattle's minimum wage ordinance, which was signed into law in 2014, was the first in a wave of minimum wage increases that has since spread to several other cities and states around the country. While every store's situation is different, there are a number of common issues, concerns and observations brought up by Tracy Taylor, general manager of Elliott Bay Book Company; Christy McDanold, owner of Secret Garden Books; Louise Little, CEO of University Book Store; Krijn de Jonge, co-owner of Queen Anne Book Company; and Danielle Hulton, owner of Ada's Technical Books & Cafe, that may be helpful to indies navigating similar wage increases in other parts of the country.
Managing Hours: For most, though not all, of the booksellers we spoke to for this series, the higher minimum wage has led to keeping a much tighter rein on their staff's total hours and making sure there isn't too much overlap at any one time.
Wage Compression: One of the thorniest issues that Seattle indies have had to navigate is wage compression, or new hires starting at salaries approaching those of much more experienced staff members. While no bookseller could point to a single, definitive solution that would make everyone happy, many of them have given raises to experienced staff members and advised being as open and transparent as possible with staff members about the situation.
Higher-Margin Sidelines: Although not every bookseller agreed on the value of increasing sidelines sales, most reported that they've either expanded their selection of non-book items or focused on higher-margin sidelines such as games, toys and letterpress cards since the minimum wage ordinance came into effect.
Effects on Hiring: Acknowledging that it was impossible to tell if it was entirely due to the rising minimum wage, a number of the booksellers reported occasional difficulties with hiring. Though they usually find the right candidate eventually, it has sometimes taken much longer than in previous years.
Considerations for Small Businesses: The booksellers featured in the series expressed very little satisfaction with the way Seattle's city government implemented the minimum wage increase. Multiple booksellers pointed to a tendency on the part of the city council, as well as supporters of the minimum wage law, to lump all businesses together, whether they be independent, local stores or giant corporations like Amazon or Boeing, and several said they often felt as if their voices weren't heard in discussions about the minimum wage.
The previous articles in the series can be read here. --Alex Mutter