Why Are The Workers At Barnes & Noble So Smug?

[Myu-to]

I mean really.

You work in a fucking bookstore, that doesn't make you smart, it just means that you work in a bookstore. You don't know all of these books, you look them up on a computer, then talk to me like I am dumb? Bitch, please. So stop looking at me with that blank-ass expression on your face like helping me is beneath you. Spare me your sighs, and your eye rolls, I'm teaching kindergarten tomorrow, and I need a copy of "The Saggy Baggy Elephant".

Please, or Mr. Kuroda might just to decide to bring twenty two little badasses here for a field trip tomorrow.

[funk63]

Idk but, no cameras, lots of tall shelves, equals easy to steal shit from there.
Since you said that I now feel like my thievery is justified.

[yeahwho]

Idk but, no cameras, lots of tall shelves, equals easy to steal shit from there.
Since you said that I now feel like my thievery is justified.

thats funny stuff

[Dorothy Wood]

I pooped at the barnes and noble by my work a couple of times. but they closed down so I poop at the borders instead.

[paul jones]

I mean really.

You work in a fucking bookstore, that doesn't make you smart, it just means that you work in a bookstore. You don't know all of these books, you look them up on a computer, then talk to me like I am dumb? Bitch, please. So stop looking at me with that blank-ass expression on your face like helping me is beneath you. Spare me your sighs, and your eye rolls, I'm teaching kindergarten tomorrow, and I need a copy of "The Saggy Baggy Elephant".

Please, or Mr. Kuroda might just to decide to bring twenty two little badasses here for a field trip tomorrow.


I always think of that Adam Green song 'Bluebirds' when I hear Barnes & Noble mentioned

[Nuzzolese]

I used to work at B&N and a little boy pooped there once but it wasn't in the bathroom, it was on a Harry Potter display.

Was I smug? I don't know. Stop asking stupid questions. My smugness is right here, it's on a big display and this is non-fiction, you philistine. Now, do you want a membership card?

[ms.peachy]

I think it must be hard, if you love books, to work someplace where day after day you have to serve people who will actually spend money on something like The DaVinci Code.

[b i o n i c]

it may have something to do with 3/4 of people going in there and treating it like a public library and hanging around asking questions sitting all over the floor and smelling up the place like coffee .. and not buying anything.

[Nuzzolese]

I enjoyed looking up books for people and trying to help them find what they needed. What bothered me more was when the customer would give up on me if I didn't find what they wanted fast enough, or if I didn't know it right away. And there were several times when the customers made me feel stupid for not knowing what they were asking.

"The Karna" turned out to be The Koran

And "Essen" turned out to be the magazine, Essence

"is there someone who DOES know?"

"Are there any good restaurants around here?" she demanded. I said "That way there's Appleby's and..." and she interrupted with , " I said GOOD restaurants"
Do you think if I could afford to go to a good restaurant I'd be wearing a name tag?

[Nuzzolese]

There was an old man who used to come in often late at night, usually 10-5 minutes before we were supposed to close. He always shuffled around for a minute before approaching the desk to ask for help.

During that time we were usually already kicking into last wind hyper drive to start to clean up and put books away so that we wouldn't have to stay so late after closing (we had to stay after close to put all the books and magazines away that had been left out of place, no matter how long it took.) So usually I'd be moving quickly but he was someone you had to basically halt for.

He was never easy to help. I think he had dementia. He would begin to ask something like "I'm looking for the old television..." and stop half way through, close his red-rimmed, watery eyes for a second, begin again, saying something unrelated like "Korean language... the television songs" and then trail off and just stand there. I didn't know if he was waiting for my response, or if he was thinking. I would sometimes ask some questions, or suggest something, hoping to get some clarity out of him. Once in a while he would accept a book I offered and seem content. Other times he just kind of gave up and said that it was okay, he'd look around by himself. Poor old guy. :(

[taquitos]

He was never easy to help. I think he had dementia. He would begin to ask something like "I'm looking for the old television..." and stop half way through, close his red-rimmed, watery eyes for a second, begin again, saying something unrelated like "Korean language... the television songs" and then trail off and just stand there. I didn't know if he was waiting for my response, or if he was thinking. I would sometimes ask some questions, or suggest something, hoping to get some clarity out of him. Once in a while he would accept a book I offered and seem content. Other times he just kind of gave up and said that it was okay, he'd look around by himself. Poor old guy. :(

you and your coworkers should have waited up for him out in the dark parking lot and beat the shit out of him with metal rods.

[b i o n i c]

ahahahahah

[yeahwho]

My best book buying experience ever was at Tower Books when I was in high school, I came up to the counter with Edward Abbey's "Monkey Wrench Gang" the clerk ripped off the softback cover and said, "This ones for free".