Why doesn't it apply to you?

A woman stops at our door and looks at the signs.

On of which is a NO PETS sign.

She then comes in with her dog.

Woman: Oh is it okay if he comes in?
Me: No. I'm afraid not.
Woman: What if I carry him?
Me: Nope. Still not okay. It's a health unit rule because we have a coffee area.
Woman: Oh, I'll carry him in my bag then.
Me: I'm afraid he has to stay outside. We really need to follow the health unit rules.
Woman: But it's cold outside.
Me: I'm sorry there's no winter exemption to the no pets rule.
Woman: Oh. Do you have (names some band) on cd?
Me: No, I have audio books on cd and the odd local band but we're not a music store.
Woman: Oh. Do you have decaf coffee?
Me: Yes.
Woman: Is it instant?
Me: No. All of our coffee is brewed.
Woman: (In a Huff) Well. I thought I'd try this place. (and she leaves.....)



Seriously? Unless your dog is a seeing eye Chihuahua we're not risking having one of the health unit inspectors wander in while you're here. Sorry.

The days I worry for my job

I overhear two people talking in the store after I chatted with them and recommended an author that the one might like.

Person 1: This looks really good.
Person 2: Don't buy it here. You can save lots if you buy your books online.
Person 1: But I like being able to come here and look and talk to the people and stuff.
Person 2: So? Come here and look and then go home and buy it on line.

THEN
Person 2 comes up to the cash.

Them: Who do I speak to about a donation?
Me: You can speak to me.
Them: Oh. My son's school is having a silent auction to raise money for their band trip. Would you donate something we can auction?
Me: Do you have letter or something? Leave it with me and someone can check back in a few days.
Them: Okay. thanks.

Then they leave.
SERIOUSLY??????

Never mind that people, real live actual HUMANS work in this store and need to actually get paid. Never mind a hundred other reasons why the go take advantage of the local store's investment in a real live place to look at books and then buy online thing is a terrible idea. Never Mind ALL of that.

But to say that and then turn right around and ask them to donate something????

I wonder how much that online company donated last year in this town? I think a very safe bet was probably ZERO.

Around and Around

Customer: I'd like to order a book
Me: Okay, what book would you like to order?

The customer tells me the book and I look it up. It's not really old but it has gone out of print.

Me: I'm afraid it's out of print. I won't be able to order it. You should check with the used bookstore though, they may be able to get you a copy.
Customer: But it's not very old.
Me: Nope, it's not very old but it has got out of print already. It just means that I can't order it new from the publisher. There are probably lots of copies out there that the used store will be able to find for you.
Customer: But there are lots of older books you can buy. Not all the books on the shelf are new.
Me: They're not necessarily newly written but all our books are new books. We buy directly from the publishers so if something is out of print we can't get it anymore. It doesn't mean that a new book wasn't written a long time ago, it's just that this particular copy has not ever been sold before.
Customer: So you don't have any books that are old.
Me: We don't have books that are used. We do have books that were written a long time ago.



You can see the repetitive circle we went around and around and around in....... I'm not sure if you ever understood what I was saying or if I ever answered her question.....

Hard to Help

Customer: Do you have any books about secret societies?
Me: Sure.
Customer: I'm looking for New Age books.
Me: Okay.

I show her a section with a number of "New Age" authors with some titles about secret societies.

Me: There are some here. Let me know if I can help you find anything else.
Customer: Well I don't want any of these ones.
Me: Um Okay?
Customer: You have Sylvia Browne here. She's just a big fraud. Michael Howard, I've never heard of him or Mark Stavish.
Me: Okay. Were you looking for a Specific book then?
Customer: No. You just don't have anything.

Please note she hasn't actually LOOKED inside or at the backs of ANY of these books or any of the others...

Me: Okay, perhaps you'd rather see more of the history like ones. They're over here.
Customer: NO. New Age. I like New Age stuff. You don't have very many new age books about Secret Societies for a new age store.
Me: Umm, we're not a new age store. This section you're in is the new age section. The rest of the store is other stuff......
Customer: Oh. You really don't have much stuff on secret societies.
Me: I guess not. I'll let you look at these, let me know if I can help with anything else.

She didn't even look at any of the books on the shelf and left.


.........?? I have NO idea.