It took a little longer than employees thought, but the expected cuts in the store workforce at Borders began last week in what employees on various blogs are calling "Black Thursday." The number of cuts is unclear, and the retailer had only a vague response when asked for clarification of how many jobs were eliminated. "Borders is always looking for opportunities to improve performance and profitability. Any recent changes are a continuation of our efforts," a Borders statement read.

The staff cuts came a little more than a month after Borders eliminated 164 jobs in its corporate headquarters and distribution centers at the end of January. At that time, the company said reduction in its store workforce couldn't be ruled out, and employee blogs were filled with speculation about when the axe would fall. According to the new blogs, it appears that training supervisor positions were eliminated.

A post from someone claiming to be a general manager said the cuts were made based on job performance, with the lowest-performing employees let go.