Bookstores are where you go to BUY books and libraries are where vagrants bathe and from what I'm told, some people borrow books on occasion. School is out, its that most hot and sweaty time of the year summer. The air conditioner in my store is about the only thing that works anymore and for that I am thankful and so are the hundreds of half naked people people in my city. They come, they browse and on a good day, they buy.
Right now, I'm having a problem with teenagers and the Manga section, they grab a handful of their favorites, sit on the floor and read for hours. At first I didn't mind and then my Assistant pointed out that two of the sweaty lil' teens had been there for 4 hours! I asked them to handle the books more carefully as I'm sure someone would actually might want to pay to read them and I asked them nicely to get their butts off the floor and read at the table. That seemed to work for that day and the following day they returned. I let them sit for a few hours, then asked them if they'd like me to ring up their selection, the disappeared shortly, no one saw them leave. Thursday, two new tweeners hit the Manga section and the floor and started reading away. I approached them after a hour passed and asked them to handle the books more carefully, someone may actually want to buy them and then showed them the table where they could sit and read. They sat for another hour then disappeared, again, no one saw them leave. If I see their faces on milk cartons I'll become concerned, but, I know they'll be back because Manga is expensive and why buy when you can plop your half naked ass down on my filthy carpet and read them for free. Curse you Manga! (fist to sky, jaw clenched)
When people apply for a job at the store, they always state how much they've always wanted to work at bookstore, it look like so much fun! It's a God damn joy, we're not hiring at this time but we'll keep your application on file for a year...they smile and appear almost encouraged, whatever. I've hired many people over the years that are actually shocked at the volume of work involved in running a bookstore and quit after a week. I've hired people with dreams of owning their own bookstore and I can safely say that after a year of working at the store the dream was crushed to pulp and recycled into chick lit. It's not as easy as you might think, but it is a joy most days, other days you want to pummel the living crap out of the bastards that attempt to wank while standing and holding a hardcover Kama Sutra near the children's section.
More stories of the horrors of the bookselling experience can be found here. [link via: Pie]
