#bookseller problems

[wheneverfeasible]

Some people drunkenly slide into their ex’s DMs.

Other people slide into the DMs of their favorite authors and scream about their love of the author’s written word.

Can you guess which one I am?

[unrighteousbooks]

As a new year is upon us, I feel that I should address the fact that I have rarely been posting to this blog. I have noticed that the blog has the unintended consequence of drawing more visitors to the store. Nothing ruins the atmosphere of a quiet bookshop quite so much as a constant stream of customers. I do not wish to sound ungrateful, but surely there must be some way to run a bookstore without having to deal with people who are constantly trying to buy my books.

[cheshirelibrary]

Publishers, As A Bookseller, I Beg Of You: Number Your Series

More than once, I have found myself struggling to find complete information about several books, even with an online search. Which is frustrating, because I want to help customers properly, and I certainly don’t want anyone to go home with the wrong book.

A lot of publishers don’t seem to find it relevant to add a number to the books. At times, it isn’t even really clear that the book is indeed part of a series, and official publisher’s or author’s websites aren’t always up to date, nor do they always contain accurate, clear, and unquestionable information.

So this is a request, and a plea for help: please, please! add the book number to your series. It will look really nice in every bookshelf (check out Heartstopper and how cute installments look right next to each other, leaving no doubt about which book comes first and which comes last), and it will make a reader’s life — and this bookseller’s — a lot easier. Thank you.

This goes for librarians, too!

[booksbeyondimagining]

Just unfollowed penguin teen on instagram because they posted a video of themselves taking 2 copies of one book (out of 3 on the shelf) and sticking it on the Booktok table at a B&N.

If there was an empty space I wouldn't be mad.

But they put them ON TOP of another stack of books.

Like, if you have a problem with how the table is set up, then apply to work there and fix it as a bookseller.

Or ASK a bookseller for the book and TELL them you heard about it on TikTok. We take note of these things and order up when people start asking for specific titles.

I'm tired of these people acting like they can "do the bookseller's job for them."

STOP.

If someone asks a bookseller for that title that you just covered, they won't be able to find it. The one you chose isn't on the table for a reason! Maybe it's not selling as well, or better yet, THEY DON'T HAVE THE QUANTITY TO JUSTIFY IT BEING ON A TABLE WHEN THERE ARE TWENTY+ OF THE OTHER TITLES.

And then there was some librarian making a comment about "fixing the face-outs for the booksellers"

Do I come into YOUR place of business and rearrange things because I think it will work better? NO.

[andletforsakendidodie]

storytime: today at the bookstore I politely asked a 20something white man to put on the mask that he has in his pocket, as it is mandatory to wear a face covering in shops. he immidiately started trolling me with "but I don't have one" to which I said no problem, we sell them he can get one. at this point he started acting threatening and trolled me further with "but miss I have no money". I said then if that's the case I will ask him to leave the shop please. he refused and threteaned me with violence. I walked away calmly and called security. he then followed me screaming "f#cking c@unt" and the likes at me and knocked down the contents of a display to the floor while I was smiling back at him with the smile people save for their local village idiot. i'm not scared of greesy-haired dinguses I grew up in the mosh pits of metal gigs, but he could have easily hurt somebody smaller or meeker than me. he screamed a couple more times then at the sight of security ran away with insults pouring from his mouth.

please wear your masks and help service industry employees feel safe at their workplace. fragile white men's temper tantrums should remain in the basements where they live.

[ninja-muse]

I seem to have acquired a reading copy problem. Which would you read first?

[autumn-maple13]

I never would have guessed it would come to this, but there's been enough bs to happen at my workplace that I feel like making a list to share.

A customer tried to hook me up with his very embarrassed son, who was quick to inform me it was a frequent thing.

A customer had a nosebleed in the men's room in the middle of my shift, and sneezed blood all over the mirrors, sinks, counters, soap dispensers, etc, and despite knowing about it no one cleaned it until after we closed, when I had to glove up and clean it without proper cleaner.

A customer became angry and dragged his daughter into the mall by the arm when I tried to politely inform him that neither my store or the mall allow guns on the property unless you are law enforcement. He very promptly informed me he didn't have a permit because he didn't need one, while completely ignoring the issue I was trying to address.

The guy who stole some discount books off a sale cart outside and came back a few hours later to return them. He was caught.

A lady reported some teens getting a little busy against a column in our store, after they finished and left.

Another guy was caught jerking off in the middle of a store to a very disgusted and frightened woman - right across from the children's section! He escaped

Completely unrelated to the guy above, the day we put out the swimsuit edition magazines, someone decided to pleasure themselves in the stall, and leave the evidence all over the bathroom.

The Great Sliming of 2019: several open containers of slime were discovered, and their contents found over the next several days as dozens of books and merchandise had to be damaged. Dried slime is still being discovered under shelves.

The customer who threw a fit because I asked if she wanted her single book in a bag.

"If I wanted it ordered, I get it from Amazon!" x5 in a single day. Current record

The lady who killed our store's statistics for a month with a purchase of nearly 2k, but was the only person that day to sign up for our discount card.

The old man who very rudely told he didn't have and didn't need any damn discount card because he wasn't in there enough, but is actually a regular shopper.

The same man turned around and was very polite to my male co-worker when he was asked the same question by him the next day.

The lady who called us and asked if we still had sale books down our center aisle, and became angry and demanded I connect her to someone who actually knew the store when I told her we only had the kind of sale books she was asking about in center during holidays, but hung up before I could connect her to anyone else.

The lady who called and asked for someone over books. I work at a bookstore. You called a bookstore. We are literally all over books.

The customer who demanded someone who wasn't new come speak to him.

The woman who called me a heathen when I informed her that no, I don't go to church when she asked because I became clearly confused by the church item she was asking me to find, only to turn around and demand I take her to the faith point section anyway.

"Do you do engraving?" No, and we never have.

The customer who became very angry at my coworker when he informed them that he could not leave the front of the store to show them to an item on the other side of the store, despite the fact that he was trying to call someone who could take them to what they wanted.

The girls who didn't listen to me when I told them to not open our water pitcher to get ice out, and dumped the entire pitcher out on our coffee counter.

The guy who seemed upset that he had to let me check him out when he was buying porn mags, and snatched the bag out of my hand before I could finish the transaction.

The old man who shoved his paper in my face, then shoved his money in my face while I was trying to ring him up.

The man who crashed and forced me to reset my till because he wouldn't listen to anything I said.

The couple who became extremely angry when it came time to sign for a program they had just listened to a five minute explanation of and decided they absolutely had to be a part of. "You didn't tell us we would have to pay!" Yes, I told you that no less than four times.

I'm sure there will be more of these at some point. I may keep posting.

[sb-reads]

“I don’t remember the title or the author’s name, but the cover is blue. Do you have that one?”