Sunday morning, some corporate weenie sent out an e-mail alert to members of the Bookstore’s Rewards program. It was only supposed to be sent to those customers who shopped at a particular store in California, which is being closed this week. Instead, it went to everyone. The subject line: BOOKSTORE CLOSING: 40% CLEARANCE SALE! They later sent out a correction e-mail, but it’s probably not going to be long before they’re sending out another one, to everyone, regarding each and every store of the chain: BOOKSTORES CLOSING!

Now that Christmas season is over, and we’ve finally been able to pull all the Christmas CDs out of the players, I really think we need to start playing only stuff by blues artists.

The Bookstore I work at is in trouble, financial trouble. Not just the individual location, but the entire company. When you look back to see where the trouble began, it’s got two big sources: unnecessary company-wide store remodels, and a long-term (now ended) partnership with Amazon.com.

The reality is that last March, the Bookstore’s parent took out a very large loan to cover operating expenses for the fiscal year … and that loan is just about due. Couple that with an economy in the toilet, and a lousy Christmas season — it was very busy in our store, but we did not a single day where our sales were over $100,000, which one manager told me was the worst year she’d ever seen (and she’s been with the Bookstore for several years).

The same manager, who a month ago was full of optimism and reassurance, now just sort of nodded her head in agreement when I mentioned I might start looking elsewhere as January rolls to an end.

Now, things might turn out okay — the collateral for the loan is, I understand, our “Cards” specialty section — cards, nick-nacks, Jesus coin banks, stuff like that. I wouldn’t mind losing all that stuff, even though I’ve been told it’s the most profitable part of the store’s operation (which is kind of funny, since it always all seems to end up heavily discounted on bargain tables). Anyway.

Here’s my dilemma: first, I really like working at the Bookstore. I like the people, and I like my hours. I like the location, and the shopping demographic which means that my long Sunday shifts are considerably calmer than they’d be at a different location. On the other hand, if the store closes, than all my co-workers would probably gravitate towards the few remaining bookstores in DC, and I could find myself without a part-time job. And even though it is a part-time job, this is not discretionary income: I do, in fact, need the cash.

I really hate being an adult. Why did I ever want to grow up?