First Post!
I just found out about this community, so here is my first post....one which I am sure will give you all flash backs from the last time you were all in this kind of stupidity scuffle.
The background: I am an American (Hello Portland and Chicago!!) but live in Western Australia, near Perth. My partner (who is an Aussie) and I own a new and second hand book shop and are opening up a new location next month. I am a book geek, but not a book snob, unless you are talking about a badly written book, then I know no mercy. My partner has owned the shop for 10 years, and his parents owned several used book stores before that, that he worked in. I have worked as a manager at a B&N, and at Friendly Franks Comics (third largest comic distributor in North America, before the owner, Frank- not that friendly though-, lost the company up his nose, and the IRS came down on his ass like a ton of bricks...but thats another story...) so in a nut shell, we know of which we speak, when we are talking books....
A few weeks ago, on a slow day when more people were browsing than buying, I was minding my own business behind the counter in our very small book shop, doing some custom orders from Ingram....in walks in this lady, who ignored my "Good Afternoon" and said, "I am looking for a book." *sigh* "Which book would you like?" I ask, in my super perky "I-know-you-are-about-to-really-piss-me-off" voice. "That 'Little Women' book by Lucy Maude Montgomery." I tell her that there isn't a book by name by that author, and I start to ask her if she means the Lousia May Alcott book, or the "Anne" books, when she snaps back at me...
"I know what book I am looking for, you shouldn't correct me."
"I'm sorry if you think that, but--"
"If you are going to work in a book store, you should at least know about books. I am looking for a book, I know the book, and I want to know if you have it!"
"We don't have that book."
"How do you know, you haven't even looked?"
"Because there is no such book."
"What kind of a book person are you! Its a classic! Where is the manager?"
"You're looking at her and she is telling you, we don't have that book, never have had that book, and never will have that book. I can, however, show you the Lousia--"
"You need to learn a lot more about books to work in a book story lady, and I think you need to go back to school to learn more about the classics, its obvious that you are a glorified register clerk and know nothing about books. Why don't you go back to where you came from, fucking ignorant American!" and then she walked out.
.
.
.
.
.
I was left standing there, livid, with about 6 customers standing around, wondering if they should sneak out the front door, or wait around to see me freak out. So I walked over to the classics section, which is right next to the young adult section and said quite loudly," For those interested, you will find 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott, an American writer of the late 1800's on sale for $9.95 in our classic section. If you wish to read a wonderfully prolific Canadian writer of the early 1900's, we have the entire Lucy Maud Montgomery, 'Anne of Green Gables' collection, in a boxed set for $80, thats less than $10 a book, in the young adult section. Thank you, this ends our brief journey into the twilight zone of rampant stupidity" Then I got a good round of laughs, and everyone telling me how horrible that woman was.....but I was still pissed of that she thought I was the stupid one....grrrrrr
Big Constellation - Poi Dog Pondering - Pomegranate
The background: I am an American (Hello Portland and Chicago!!) but live in Western Australia, near Perth. My partner (who is an Aussie) and I own a new and second hand book shop and are opening up a new location next month. I am a book geek, but not a book snob, unless you are talking about a badly written book, then I know no mercy. My partner has owned the shop for 10 years, and his parents owned several used book stores before that, that he worked in. I have worked as a manager at a B&N, and at Friendly Franks Comics (third largest comic distributor in North America, before the owner, Frank- not that friendly though-, lost the company up his nose, and the IRS came down on his ass like a ton of bricks...but thats another story...) so in a nut shell, we know of which we speak, when we are talking books....
A few weeks ago, on a slow day when more people were browsing than buying, I was minding my own business behind the counter in our very small book shop, doing some custom orders from Ingram....in walks in this lady, who ignored my "Good Afternoon" and said, "I am looking for a book." *sigh* "Which book would you like?" I ask, in my super perky "I-know-you-are-about-to-really-piss-me-off" voice. "That 'Little Women' book by Lucy Maude Montgomery." I tell her that there isn't a book by name by that author, and I start to ask her if she means the Lousia May Alcott book, or the "Anne" books, when she snaps back at me...
"I know what book I am looking for, you shouldn't correct me."
"I'm sorry if you think that, but--"
"If you are going to work in a book store, you should at least know about books. I am looking for a book, I know the book, and I want to know if you have it!"
"We don't have that book."
"How do you know, you haven't even looked?"
"Because there is no such book."
"What kind of a book person are you! Its a classic! Where is the manager?"
"You're looking at her and she is telling you, we don't have that book, never have had that book, and never will have that book. I can, however, show you the Lousia--"
"You need to learn a lot more about books to work in a book story lady, and I think you need to go back to school to learn more about the classics, its obvious that you are a glorified register clerk and know nothing about books. Why don't you go back to where you came from, fucking ignorant American!" and then she walked out.
.
.
.
.
.
I was left standing there, livid, with about 6 customers standing around, wondering if they should sneak out the front door, or wait around to see me freak out. So I walked over to the classics section, which is right next to the young adult section and said quite loudly," For those interested, you will find 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott, an American writer of the late 1800's on sale for $9.95 in our classic section. If you wish to read a wonderfully prolific Canadian writer of the early 1900's, we have the entire Lucy Maud Montgomery, 'Anne of Green Gables' collection, in a boxed set for $80, thats less than $10 a book, in the young adult section. Thank you, this ends our brief journey into the twilight zone of rampant stupidity" Then I got a good round of laughs, and everyone telling me how horrible that woman was.....but I was still pissed of that she thought I was the stupid one....grrrrrr
Big Constellation - Poi Dog Pondering - Pomegranate