Vitebsk's "Globus" Noted Among Republic's Bookstores

The demand for literature among customers largely depends on its presentation on the shelves in bookstores. This is the firm belief of the organizers of the republican competitions "Best Display of Educational Literature by Aversev Publishing House" and "Secret Shopper," held in the retail network of Belkniga OJSC, among the winners of which were representatives of the bookshops of the Pridvinye region.

As reported by the website of the Ministry of Information of the Republic of Belarus, the main criteria for the jury's evaluation were the use of the latest technologies and methods of book merchandising, the ability to identify customer needs, knowledge of the assortment, and customer service culture. As a result, in the nomination "Best Display of Educational Literature by Aversev Publishing House," 9 managers were recognized. Along with the heads of two capital city stores, a first-degree diploma was awarded to Oksana Zolotareva, the manager of the Vitebsk "Globus" store on Zamkovaya Street. We decided to congratulate Oksana Nikolaevna on her victory and find out if book sales in stores are popular today, considering the rapidly developing information technologies?

As it turned out, literature is in high demand at "Globus," especially educational literature. About a thousand copies are sold daily, which amounts to about 30,000 units per month. The Internet is not a competitor here at all, but rather an assistant, as it helps to learn about current literary trends and collaborate with various publishing houses not only in Belarus but also in other countries. This is very important, as the bookstore forms its own assortment, which means it needs to be constantly aware of new releases – both fiction and educational.

– Regarding the latter, when ordering it, we contact teachers who suggest which workbooks and other supplementary materials might be needed. It is very convenient when teachers themselves order literature from us for the entire class; this saves parents trouble and ensures that everyone has enough, – explained Oksana Zolotoreva.

The store shelves primarily feature books from Belarusian publishers. Educational literature is organized by grade level, which is, of course, very convenient for parents. Further sections include economics, psychology, philology, and so on. The collection includes books in various world languages. A separate exhibition is dedicated to Belarusian literature. As noted by the store manager, works by domestic authors, particularly Vasil Bykov and Vladimir Karatkevich, are always in high demand, and following the Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to Svetlana Alexievich, there has been a particular surge in demand for her books.

– We strive to make shopping as convenient as possible for our customers, so that everyone can find what they are looking for here. A wide assortment, a convenient central location, permanent 5% discounts for large families and pensioners, as well as periodic promotions with publishers offering a 20% discount – all this encourages people to purchase printed materials and to read more, – emphasized Oksana Nikolaevna.

Returning to the competition, it should be noted that the third-degree diploma in the same nomination was awarded to Elena Romanova, the manager of the Vitebsk bookstore "Rovesnik" on Moskovsky Prospekt. As for the best salespeople, among the first-place winners was Nadezhda Bogdan (Vitebsk, bookstore "Knigi" No. 12). Bronze laureates include Natalia Khadkevich (Polotsk, No. 9, "Polotsk-Svetoch"), Galina Danilenko (Vitebsk, No. 11, "Ranitsa"), Natalia Terzova (Vitebsk, No. 21, "Ly ratushi"), Elena Shubina (Orsha, No. 4, "Knigi"), Alesya Trescheva (Vitebsk, No. 22, "Asveta"), Nadezhda Voytushenko (Orsha, No. 3, "Rodnik"), Tatyana Belkovich (Vitebsk, No. 18, "Ravesnik").

Olga Maslovskaya. Photos by Anton Stepanishchev. "Vitebskiye Vesti".