A Wild Sheep Chase

I was looking through the Barnes and Noble tag and really-

A lot of the posts were exciting, young, and happy.


However, working there myself for several years:

Barnes and Noble is a store, a business, a company.  This means  you are not entitled to things as a library or your friends house, your house etc…

Every time you break a spine of a book, every stuff animal a child dirties, pages are ripped, steal, charge your electronic devices, leave children alone, not watch your children, and be able to use the restroom; those once items or options cost money. 

Employees cost money, keeping the lights on, providing toilet paper or have running water so we can brew your coffee after you don’t/do flush a public restroom.  The stores provides a place to come together, read, meet and greet, but also a place where they provide reading to continue.  

People who cost the store money by not realizing or doing things on purpose (such as above) create an affect for customer service, items, and overall experience of a visit to ANY store.   

A store is not a place to be a showroom so you can go to look at things then go home and buy at several websites.  I constantly tell people that we price match to our website.  That means if the bookseller places the order and you pay it to be shipped to your house you are putting your dollars into the community that you are living or visiting in.  On top of coupons and everything else many websites lure you in with the lowest amount but not til your almost done with the order do you see your shipping cost.  You want sale taxes lowered, jobs, and food on peoples tables?  Buy or order in store.   

How can a store pay for the luxury of coming to a place with new items for sale and not purchasing? By people paying even for a coffee or not staying there for several hours every day 365 days a week.  I am not saying that people need to pay for a book if they just read the back of a book, but things and people cost money.  If you have bad customer service, yes well maybe it is the actual person who has a bad day, is JUST HUMAN, or really should not have a job in customer service.  When a person performs bad service they were not taught how to provide good customer service and maybe should of never been hired.  

Things cost money.  Bottom line.  Every time your parents buy you gifts or clothes that is money they worked for to provide for you.  A book has now become something not needed unless it is for your work or school, so the service and industry has become a luxury.  You want to keep bookstores open?  

Read and pay for it, read on a Nook or a book, buy a scone from the Cafe or Starbucks, keep habits that respect or be nice to the items for sale, and maybe there will be a place for people to gather and enjoy themselves and not the person who is selfish and does not care if reading will be on pages in 50 years.



 

 

Wind-Up Bird Chronicle Pg 65 Hardcover english.

“‘Fool yourself to fool others’?  But now, Mr. Wind-Up Bird, tell me, have you got guts?’

‘No really, no.’
‘Never had ‘em?’
‘No, I was never one for guts.  Not likely to change, either.’
‘How about curiosity?’
‘Curiosity’s another matter.  I’ve got some of that.’
Well, don’t you think guts and curiosity are kind of similar?’ said May Kasahara.  ‘Where there’s guts there’s curiosity, and where there’s curiosity there’s guts.  No?’
‘Hmm, maybe they are kind of similar,’ I said.  ‘Maybe you’re right.  Maybe they do overlap at times?’
….
‘yeah, like that,’ I said, rolling a lemon drop on my tongue.  ‘When you sneak into somebody’s backyard, it does seem that guts and curiosity are working together.  Curiosity can bring guts out of hiding at times, maybe even get them going.  But curisoity usually evaporates.  Guts have to go for the long haul.  Curiosity’s like a fun friend you can’t really trust.  It turns you on and then it leaves you to make it on your own- with whatever guts you can muster.’