It's the holiday season and life in the bookstore tends to be a little more colorful than usual. People come in looking for "Theasasauruses" (sorry, ma'am, they've been extinct for years) and "the blue book that was on the front table this summer-you know the one by that guy who wrote that other book. I think he was on TV & it might have been a bestseller." There are the usual complaints that books are expensive and we don't discount enough (and for those of you that aren't familiar with the book industry, let me assure you, the margins suck and that's why we're not giving things away) and that when Sam's club has this in stock, they sell it for 42% off.  The liberal customers complain that the conservatives have more books on the front table, the conservative customers complain that the liberals have more books on the front table and both sides are convinced that there's a conspiracy afoot. It's the time of year where we encounter many people who can only be compelled to set foot in a bookstore because a book is the only Christmas gift that'll make weird Aunt Tilly happy & since they don't read, how would they know what she likes to read? Fortunately, booksellers are endowed with nearly psychic powers and can usually extrapolate from a series of vague answers about Aunt Tilly's interests that, instead of a pile of romance novels & some chocolate, she'd probably prefer a Talking Heads CD and a book about Amish Quilts. And then sometimes you get one of those odd ducks like Kat had last night:

"Hey, can I get, like, a library card for here?  Is this a library? Nah, this ain't no fucking library."

You're absolutely correct, my dear customer, this ain't no fucking library. Bless you for your clarity.

Comments

[sharon h]

I just had to add this bit - had a customer ring the store... We chatted for a few minutes about computer books then she asks about mobile phones and what were the best ones... I listened for a few minutes then I suggested she rind a phone store - the reply came that they were simply no use at all so she rang us... I did remind her gently that it was a bookstore and mobile phones were not one of our current lines - She then asked to speak to the manager as she was sure that he could help her - as a manager he was sure to have a 'top of the line' phone... Go figure..

[sharon h]

LOL I know EXACTLY what you are talking about as I work in a bookstore too... People are amazing aren't they... Sometimes I feel like I am playing charades - sounds like, first word,second letter... But we as booksellers are meant to know EVERYTHING... We had a run on a 'healthy eating lifestyle aka diet book a few months ago... Now I am more a 'ruben' type gal and a customer after much discussion about the merits of the book asked had I tried it - I smiled sweetly and said - 'Now do I LOOK like I have tried it'... And I just love the customers who say they saw a book reviewed somewhere by someone and it's well about something to do with ummm, well you know... No, I don't know - what genre? Umm... well it could be fiction - but then again... Yep every day is a challenge but I love it!!!!

[Jen]

I am so sorry! I feel for you, really I do, but I'm also laughing so hard I'm worried I'm going to pee. I have to go...

[Christine]

Well, apparently you can take the girl out of the bookstore but not the bookstore out of the girl, because the first thing I thought when I saw the bit about the blue book was, "Well, duh, Erica, they're talking about Michael Savage." Hmmph.

[Kat with a K]

And now you're blogging about my life before I get a chance to do so! Hah.