Entitlement
Posted on December 7, 2009 by Becky
I made my own LOLcat: the only time bad grammar is funny...
In fact, someone could probably do an interesting anthropological study on the types of bookshop customers. For example:
1. Those who do not know the difference between a bookshop and a library: we don’t mind parents and children reading a few picture books to see which ones they like. We don’t even mind if they do that and come back a different day/week to buy one. We do mind when they a) read a pile of books bigger than their child, b) let him or her roughly bend the pages and make the books grubby and c) come in every single week and never buy anything.
2. The phone detectives: we have number of people calling to ask for book recommendations. Which we are more than happy to provide, but not when they use the phrase, “thanks, I can order that from Amazon now”. Amazon are cheaper for a reason: they don’t have shop overheads. We do.
3. Amazon listers: the same ilk as above, but who come in with a pen and paper. None of us came to bookselling by way of a turnip truck, yet they don’t seem to realise we know what they are doing!
4. Free stuff magpies: on our Birthday, we gave out balloons to all the children, and goody bags to children whose parent spent over £10. You would not believe the number of people aggressively demanding a goody bag (which included at least 4 free books, stickers, bookmarks, a whoopee cushion, pens, etc) when they had spent £1 on a bookmark. It’s obviously up everyone individually to decide how best to spend their own money, but it’s amazing the number of people who agonise over a £4.99 book for their child, when we see them spending £15 in Starbucks three times a week.
5. Charity prize hunters with an air of entitlement: we are in a nexus of schools, nurseries, churches and universities. We are in general happy to give out prizes for raffles, tombolas, etc, not only because giving to charity is A Good Thing, but because we are part of the local community and should support community projects. However, there is a polite way and downright rude way to ask. For example, threatening to tell all your friends to “never, ever shop here” unless we give a good prize is most definitely a rude way.
As Vanessa mentioned in a previous post on the Fidra blog, we are knowledgeable: we are, in effect, a resource. People seem blissfully unaware we are a resource they will lose unless they are willing to spend money with us - they cheerfully write down titles then head off for their computer. I’d be willing to bet that if we didn’t exist they’d bemoan the lack of us, but wouldn’t twig the connection. Maybe it’s partly our fault – we need to market the value of what we offer better. But there does seem to be a culture – perhaps started by the ability to get a lot of things free online – of entitlement. The attitude that as long as someone does x or y, I don’t need to bother, I can reap the benefits anyway.
On the upside, we were talking only the other day about how we could all write a Black Books-style programme, but more about the customers than the staff. Frankly, the daily business of an indie bookshop could provide more than enough material…
Comments
14 Responses to “Entitlement”
Leave a Reply
December 8th, 2009 @ 9:31 pm
Okay, okay I know I am getting in early but it is already the next day here in Australia and I simply have to pass this on to the local independent bookshop. The staff will cheer loudly to see someone else say what they think – and grumble about to me. I look forward to some more rants Becky!
December 9th, 2009 @ 8:05 pm
Please note that some of us jotting stuff down might actually be checking whether we own a book already
That is why I am usually furtively hunched over my phone in bookshops.
I do buy from independent bookshops when I can. If I’ve spend a lovely time browsing in a shop I will almost always buy something, even when I know I can get it cheaper online.
I boggle at some of your listed deviants…
December 9th, 2009 @ 9:31 pm
And some of us might write things down as a reminder for a future birthday present, and then come back to the shop to buy it at a later date.
Love the idea of the Black Books programme though! When I was a librarian we used to say the same thing.
December 9th, 2009 @ 11:11 pm
I try very hard never ever to buy books except from independent bookshops and I hope I never fall into any of the categories above except that I do often visit bookshops and do not make a purchase. However I don’t do it weekly! Sadly one has ever offered me a “goody bag” regardless of how much I spend.
Congratulations on yet another interesting weblog.
December 10th, 2009 @ 9:29 am
Oh, I know there are some non-Amazon-related reasons to write stuff down. But not when they are headed “Amazon list”, for example. And obviously, people should do their shopping where they want to. But it just galls that these same people will gush about how great it is to have an indie with staff who know things, without joining the dots.
Vanessa had a customer classic the other day. Toddler: “Mummy, are we picking here then ordering online?”. Cue red-faced mum leaving…
Again, these are a minority of our customers; I’m not as crabby as I sound above! It’s just that when you have a few of these people in a row, Patience Wears Thin.
December 10th, 2009 @ 10:42 am
It almost annoys me more when they try and pretend they’re not going straight to amazon. As in, you help them find the perfect title for their set of bizarre criteria, they express delight and incredulity that the book seems tailor made for them and how happy they are… And then hastily backtrack and say ‘Right, well I’ll just go away and think about it…thanks, er, yeah I’ll be back…’ as they scuttle off to try and find it cheaper.
December 10th, 2009 @ 2:01 pm
As one of my reps reminded me earlier, someone was quoted in one of the papers at the weekend saying that she’d miss Borders because it was such a good place for her children to play with books while she had a coffee.
Not to buy books for her children note; she probably bought them on Amazon and probably never realised that the high level of damaged stock caused by her little darlings and other like them won’t have done the business any good.
December 10th, 2009 @ 4:04 pm
Long live the indies! Whenever I need a bookstore for a private event, I always call on an indie because they know more and have this lovely thing called “customer service,” something the box chains tend to forget.
December 11th, 2009 @ 9:49 am
Becky, please don’t stop railing against the hypocrites! One of the things that irritates about literary weblogs, well the comments posted mainly, is the number of people who say something like “I’ve just ordered it from [insert name of online retailer here]” or “I have just added it to [insert name of online retailer] list.” I almost never see anyone saying something like “Next week when I am in London, Edinburgh, Geneva (places where Dark Puss can be found) I will visit [insert name of independent bookseller staffed by real human beings]”
Miaow!
December 12th, 2009 @ 5:08 pm
Although I do buy books online, I wouldn’t dream of going into a bookshop for advice for this, it’s just bad manners. At least go to a library and help them put their enquiry stats up!
Maybe the more relaxed nature of Borders and people reading whole books in there and letting their kids treat it like home was why their stock was in such a state and put me off buying it.
December 12th, 2009 @ 5:09 pm
Just realised that makes me sound like I buy all my books online, I don’t!
December 17th, 2009 @ 4:53 pm
I was in the shop the other day and purposely didn’t take out my notebook (in which I note down books to buy from your shop) as I thought I’d look like one of your deviants, even though I’m not. Rather, I just have too many books to read right now, the majority of which were purchased chez vous.
The perils of casual browsing!
December 18th, 2009 @ 9:35 am
Aw Nick, I’m sorry – it really wasn’t aimed at people who buy things, even very occasionally. I hope you haven’t taken offence, because I was just having a slightly tongue-in-cheek rant after a few days with frustrating customers. As long as you don’t head it with “Amazon List”, we won’t hate you, I promise. Next time, introduce yourself: it’s always nice to chat to blog readers!
December 21st, 2009 @ 10:57 pm
It’s interesting seeing things from the other side of the fence.
I go to bookshops all the time, and I guess I buy a book once in every ten visits. I guess I’m just picky, but I seldom come across something which is so interesting that I just buy it. I always need to check online reviews before I purchase.
One thing I REALLY REALLY hate is being approached by staff in bookshops, asking me if I need help, or trying to give me recommendations. I’m probably just a snob, but I always figured the bookseller’s job is to take my cash and stick the book in a paper bag!