Dymocks Books & Gifts
    (28 reviews)

    Company Reviews

    Working at Dymocks Books & Gifts

    3.528 ratings in total
    5
    10
    4
    6
    3
    4
    2
    3
    1
    5
    75%
    Rate salary as high or average
    68%
    Employees recommend this employer to friends
    Work/Life balance
    3.6(28 ratings)
    Career development
    2.6(27 ratings)
    Benefits & perks
    3.3(28 ratings)
    Management
    3.0(28 ratings)
    Working environment
    3.6(28 ratings)
    Diversity & equal opportunity
    3.7(28 ratings)
    Ratings for Dymocks Books & Gifts are shared as-is from employees in line with our community guidelines

    Reviews

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    1.0
    Stoc Recever
    Sep 2025
    Melbourne VIC 3004Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    Appalling childish management
    The good thingsNever had chance to find out
    The challengesGot position and next day was COVID shut down. When things started up again I did not hear from them. I contacted them by phone and email but never got to speak to management. All staff resumed work but they never even spoke to me. I was not paid the day that I did work, they just wiped me after I had left another job to join them
    2 people found this helpful
    3.0
    Retail Sales Assistant
    Mar 2020
    Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    Fun but poor management
    The good things- Great customers - Expands your knowledge with new and exciting products coming out - Enjoy the great staff discount on books
    The challenges- Poor management that don't follow through - Poor staff training - Lack of opportunity for career advancement
    3 people found this helpful
    4.0
    Loyalty and marketing manager
    Nov 2019
    9 to 10 years in the role, former employee
    I really grew as a loyalty marketer. My boss was very supportive and was passionate about what we could achieve. He was someone who really delivered on strategy.
    The good thingsBooks, books, books. It’s such a wonderful product to work with. The authors, the publishers and your colleagues who are so knowledgeable. And let’s not forget the customers who also love books.
    The challengesBooks are a commodity so the competitive marketplace is very challenging.
    3.0
    Retail Sales Assistant
    Sep 2019
    1 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    Neutral with ups and downs.
    The good thingsDiscount books, meet and greets of authors, book signings. Enjoyable booklovers
    The challengesDifficult management and no career progression
    1.0
    Sales Assistant
    Sep 2019
    Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    Not worth working for.
    The good thingsMeeting and interacting with customers.
    The challengesA rude company, don’t looked after staff very well that have mental health issues.
    4.0
    Bookseller
    Sep 2019
    All Australia1 to 2 years in the role, current employee
    Great place to work
    The good thingsAmazing and supportive management; safe, friendly environment; opportunities to interact with publishing houses; authors and illustrators
    The challengesNot a lot of opportunity for career advancement unless you want to own your own franchise
    1.0
    Sales Assistant
    Jun 2019
    1 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    Toxic
    The good thingsStaff discount if 25%
    The challengesReally stressful environment and highly sales driven
    2.0
    Retail Sales Assistant
    May 2019
    1 to 2 years in the role, current employee
    My thoughts on it are contributed the experience itself, how I was made and what I experienced throughout my past life/lives and the past in this life.
    The good thingsGood colleagues Good manager Reasonable salary Encourages diversity
    The challengesI don't enjoy working there.
    5.0
    Sales Assistant
    Jun 2018
    7 to 8 years in the role, former employee
    Would work here again in a heartbeat!
    The good thingsGetting to read all the latest releases and chatting with more book lovers.
    The challengesCustomers could get quite angry if you wouldn't give them what they wanted.
    4.0
    Casual Sales Assistant
    May 2018
    1 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    I feel lucky to have worked at Dymocks, but it is not as romantic as it seems.
    The good thingsIf you are passionate about books and customer service, Dymocks allows these passions to flourish. Compared to most retail jobs, Dymocks is a very lucky place to be employed by.
    The challengesPoor management, and unrealistic expectations of staff. Can also be incredibly boring at times.
    1.0
    ICT Support Analyst
    May 2018
    Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    not good at all
    The good thingsClose to CBD, so its really good for shopping(however there is always busy so no time for shopping)
    The challenges1.You will have to ask the permission for lunch break which i never understand? 2.Franchise model business, which make Stores chasing Up deadline with head office all the time, keeps complains to the headoffice , so it will definitely drive you mad
    1.0
    Retail Sales Assistant
    Feb 2018
    1 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    It was great at first but it slowly deteriorated over time due to submanagement placement.
    The good thingsA high quality of customers It allowed me to broaden my knowledge of various book genres It was close to home
    The challengesNo team work or respect amongst staff a lot of back biting. Cockroaches out the back General mess and untidyness in the back room The monitoring of higher ups on a constant basis especially with toilet breaks The overall pressure to \"harangue\" customers for a sale even if they were just browsing during busy or quiet periods.
    4.0
    Christmas Casual
    Aug 2017
    Adelaide SA 5000Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    A fantastic experience for a book lover like me.
    The good thingsGreat atmosphere and a fantastic team.
    The challengesThe high speed environment.
    5.0
    Floor staff
    Sep 2016
    Adelaide SA 50003 to 4 years in the role, current employee
    Awesome place to work!
    The good thingsOwner and fellow workers
    The challengesLow hours and almost everyone is casual
    5.0
    Full Time Cashier
    Feb 2016
    Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    Invaluable experience in a smooth running retailer
    The good thingsPeople and being able to share your love of literature with customers and colleagues
    The challengesThe usual challenges of retail. Standing up all day, rude customers etc
    3.0
    Casual Retail Assistant
    Feb 2016
    1 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    My review is based on the store i worked in only. Which is now closed. But when i was there it was a terrible environment, especially for my first job...
    The good thingsNot many, apart from the store discount i guess. But even then there were not many positives. Some of the other staff were nice and helped a lot, but most just walked about with condescension.
    The challengesManagement refused to take suggestions, and constantly looked down upon with condescension.
    5.0
    Sales assistant
    Feb 2016
    5 to 6 years in the role, former employee
    A much more cultured and sophisticated retail environment than other large retail jobs, and great for students and artists.
    The good thingsAs a retail job done during university studies, it was a very pleasant, sophisticated environment to work in as casual, retail jobs go. Great people, fantastic and clever staff from many different walks of life, often students themselves, or academics, creative people. As a retail job, it's one of the best ones I've ever had. It employed a lot of university students, so it was okay with you setting your own availabilities for work. Very understanding in that regard.
    The challengesBook sales have been declining for years since the advent of the e-reader, so a lot non-book products, merchandise, toys, games and DVDs make up more of the bulk of sales at this book store than they used to.
    5.0
    Retail Sales Assistant
    Feb 2016
    5 to 6 years in the role, former employee
    Great uni job!
    The good thingsGreat staff and working environment, amazing store layout and range of products. Easy going team and lots of fun.
    The challengesMulti level management, reporting to different levels of seniority and power tripping completely unnecessary in any working environment let alone retail.
    5.0
    Retail Sales Assistant
    Feb 2016
    1 to 2 years in the role, current employee
    It's lots of fun to go to work!
    The good thingsFantastic staff, biggest bookstore in Southern Hemisphere, with a great range.
    The challengesSuch a large store (3 levels) Difficult customers
    5.0
    Floor Supervisor
    Feb 2016
    1 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    Passionate release for the reader in me.
    The good thingsWorking with people passionate about books and customers who love a great story.
    The challengesA changing time for storytelling.
    4.0
    Sales Assistany
    Feb 2016
    3 to 4 years in the role, former employee
    Great, but wouldn't do it again
    The good thingsWorking with books, great customers, high sales opportunities
    The challengesMonotony, long hours
    5.0
    Sales Assistant
    Feb 2016
    11 to 12 years in the role, former employee
    Great
    The good thingsGreat fellow staffers. Passionate booklovers.
    The challengesOcasionally, monotony was challenging, but the environment made up for this.
    5.0
    Manager
    Feb 2016
    Fun, interesting place to work with great people
    The good thingsThe atmosphere
    The challengesStaying current and fresh
    4.0
    Retail Sales Assistant
    Oct 2015
    Good job for book lovers. If you are going to school is a great job
    The good thingsBe around books , good hours , lovely customers
    The challengesGrowing opportunities
    1 person found this helpful
    2.0
    Full Time Cashier/Bookseller
    Sep 2015
    1 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    Okay for a short time, not for forever.
    The good thingsYou were surrounded by books & if that's your interest then you got to see a lot of new stock before customers.
    The challengesThe management was quite an issue as they were a very tight cohesive team & if you had a problem with how they treated you then there was no one to help you out. They weren't understanding of mental health problems either & could be quite one level thinking.
    2.0
    Shift Supervisor
    Sep 2015
    1 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    I have gained a greater understanding and a certain respect for the economic process at the cost of degrading and losing my original definition of what a Book is and should be.
    The good thingsWhen working for Dymocks, the job you cater is 100% accurate to the job description. It is simply a Book/ Stationary Store and you are the Book/ Stationary Seller. Therefore it is very straight forward and easily mastered work which require mainly just your common sense and some book cataloging know-how. The staff, your co-workers, are all generally very nice since it is a requirement to be reasonably approachable to get a customer servicing position. However the problem also arises from what has been said; it is simply a generic job where you should not expect validation or achievement because the the job constrains you to a set of tasks that require no deviation. It is a grind just as any other generic job is.
    The challengesRepetitiveness: You may think that by working for a book-store you will likely positively enhance your already established fondness for books; unfortunately this is not the case. What you quickly come to realize is that the publishing industry and its distribution method, the book-store, is essentially a business. Book-stores do not care for the literary beauty in the products they sell, nor do they consider any such factors when making their business decisions. If you work for Dymocks prepare to grind the hours and begin to see books as nothing more than a resource to convert into fuel for the corporate machine.
    3.0
    Sales Assistant
    Sep 2015
    1 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    Great people, great customers, overall nice place to work.
    The good thingsThe floor staff are fantastic
    The challengesThe management is poor
    5.0
    Senior Sales Assistant
    Aug 2015
    Happy & contented with great colleagues & bosses but sad that it could be coming to an end.
    The good thingsWonderful working environment. Who wouldn't be happy working with books a field they have chosen & worked in for over 20 years. In a lovely bright & happy store. Mind you I could be biased.
    The challengesHaving a chronic disease is making it hard to get around & be capable of doing the jobs that are involved in a hands on job.
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