Walmart's Book Stockers

by Keli Gwyn (@KeliGwyn)

I'm a book stalker. I'm guessing you might be, too, based on the many comments our wonderful blog readers left on my post last week about Walmart's Book Department Shrinkage.

Like many of you, I eagerly anticipate the arrival of the latest Love Inspired titles at Walmart and get excited when they show up.

Have you ever wondered about the book stockers who make book stalkers' days? I did. I wanted to know who Walmart's book stockers are and when they fill the shelves.

I decided to find out. What I discovered might surprise you. It did me.

When I began my search several years ago, I assumed Walmart workers shelve the books. Not so. Walmart uses a book supplier: Anderson Merchandisers®.

Every Tuesday our local Anderson Merchandisers representative shows up at my local Walmart and replenishes the book department. She's pictured below.

Over the years I've made friends with this lovely young lady and have learned a lot from her.

• What books are stocked is determined at a corporate level.
• She can request a certain book be reordered if it's selling well, although her requests aren't always honored.
• She has to remove and return unsold books when their shelf time is up in order to make room for the new titles.
• She has to work quickly because she stocks the books at a number of area Walmarts.

If you happen to be in your local Walmart's book department when it's being stock, I suggest introducing yourself to the representative. You could learn a lot and make a new friend.

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The cover for my first Love Inspired Historical has yet to be designed, but I did get my official release date recently: June 2015. You can be sure that when June arrives, I'll be stalking Walmart's book department. :-)

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How often do you visit the book department at your local Walmart?

Have you ever been there when the book were being stocked?

Have you ever talked with the book stocker?

Walmart Book Department Shrinkage

by Keli Gwyn (@keligwyn)
Every time I visit my local Walmart, I head straight for the book department. I can't help myself. I love books.

When I reach the aisle, I start off at the Harlequin section. I never tire of seeing my fellow Love Inspired authors' books showing off their pretty covers.

This past week when I made my routine visit, I turned the corner, took one look and ground to a stop. Why? Because the department I know and love had undergone changes.

The first thing I noticed was that brand new signs directed readers to the various sections. That made my day because I figured Walmart wouldn't invest in new signage if they planned to remove the department.

After I'd oohed and aahed a bit, I noticed more changes. The first was that Harlequin's section was well stocked, with the Love Inspired books in their customary spots.

Moving along the aisle, I was met with an unpleasant surprise. Although the new signs indicated two sections of Inspirational titles, only one actually held them. The other was filled with mainstream novels. Well not completely filled. There were a number of empty spots.

Moving down the aisle, I noticed that Romance & Fiction had also been reduced to one section, again with noticeable gaps.

A quick glance across the aisle showed that magazine section wasn't exempt from the shrinkage taking place. Either that, or there had been an unprecedented run on magazines.

What do these changes tell us? That the inevitable is taking place: more and more people are opting to purchase their books online or in digital formats, meaning fewer print books are available for sale in brick and mortar stores.

Another thing it tells us is that Harlequin is weathering the downsizing better than most. Readers of their three Love Inspired lines will be able to find their books in select Walmart stores for some time to come, which makes this reader happy.

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Where do you usually make your Love Inspired purchases?

Have you noticed changes in your local Walmart's book department?