(no subject)
I was so busy telling my Very Important News yesterday, that I forgot other fun stuff. I got to do storytime Thursday! Once a month the mall has "PBS Share-a-Story" where moms can bring their preschoolers and worry about someone else entertaining them for a while, plus they get coloring pages and carousel tickets and have prize drawings and stuff. The books are pre-set, PBS-character books like Clifford and Caillou and *shudder* Dragontales, so there's no chance of picking out something really good like God Bless the Gargoyles or Anansi the Spider or even Puss in Boots. Psyche usually reads to them - whether that's bc they want a Bookstore Person to do it since it's in our kids' section, or cheery mall PR girl can't handle Clifford's First Valentines Day I don't know.
Anyway, it was storytime day and Psyche wasn't there. The manager who was there just *doesn't* do kids and asked if I wanted to do it. Hmmmm, actually use something I learned in library school? Or stand at the register, staring into space? Yes, the books were pretty dumb, but the kids were cute and I got a nicer start to the day that I had expected. Also, I got brownie points with a manager. :)
While we were waiting for the moms to show up, I had my Customer of the Day. Do we have The Little Engine That Could? Why yes, we do: here are several editions of different sizes and prices. She picked one she liked, then said "I need five." I have four of this nice, big hardbound edition... Nope, all five need to be the same. And of course she needs them tomorrow so we can't order more of the one she likes. I have no sympathy for people who wait to the last minute when they know they need something big like that, so I said, "Well, we do have four of these that are the same, or all of these others have the same story, just in different sizes," and went back to the story area. The woman gets on her cell phone and calls her friend. "I can't believe how hard this book is to find! I went to Target and they didn't have any, and now I'm at Books-A-Million and they only have one."
That's when I decided it would be a good idea to read over the books before the kids got there. Because I very nearly went over there, pulled all four big hardbacks off the shelf, and waved them in her idiot face. But it would have been so tempting to just smack her with them. Clifford gets a card from a boy. Clifford gets a card from a girl. The mailman brings more cards....
Anyway, it was storytime day and Psyche wasn't there. The manager who was there just *doesn't* do kids and asked if I wanted to do it. Hmmmm, actually use something I learned in library school? Or stand at the register, staring into space? Yes, the books were pretty dumb, but the kids were cute and I got a nicer start to the day that I had expected. Also, I got brownie points with a manager. :)
While we were waiting for the moms to show up, I had my Customer of the Day. Do we have The Little Engine That Could? Why yes, we do: here are several editions of different sizes and prices. She picked one she liked, then said "I need five." I have four of this nice, big hardbound edition... Nope, all five need to be the same. And of course she needs them tomorrow so we can't order more of the one she likes. I have no sympathy for people who wait to the last minute when they know they need something big like that, so I said, "Well, we do have four of these that are the same, or all of these others have the same story, just in different sizes," and went back to the story area. The woman gets on her cell phone and calls her friend. "I can't believe how hard this book is to find! I went to Target and they didn't have any, and now I'm at Books-A-Million and they only have one."
That's when I decided it would be a good idea to read over the books before the kids got there. Because I very nearly went over there, pulled all four big hardbacks off the shelf, and waved them in her idiot face. But it would have been so tempting to just smack her with them. Clifford gets a card from a boy. Clifford gets a card from a girl. The mailman brings more cards....