Don't ask me where the nonfiction section is: Tales from a Bookseller

[Black Death]

So, the other day at work I had some guy come up to me and ask me if I had read Death of a Salesman. I replied that I had read parts of it back in high school for English class and then asked him if he wanted me to show him to a copy of it in the store. He proceeded to shake his head and sip his iced coffee drink, then asked me if it was any good. I said yes and he looked at me with a confused expression.

"Well, I heard that it was deemed unconstitutional back in the Salem witch trials because of it being un-American," he said proudly.

I must have stood there staring at him with a blank expression for about ten minutes before he finally turned and walked away. If you don't understand why that sentence made no sense and made me consider finding out what public high school he went to, just so I could remember to never send my own children there, then please God look up Death of a Salesman so you don't go spouting off nonsense to someone else and they end up telling the same story to other people.

LMAO... 

Please good get this person some help... I am ashamed of our education system if he made it through

[Rae]

I was at the cash register when some woman walked up with her daughter, for some reason having the hardest time getting her check book out of her purse. I couldn't figure out why she was having such a tough time, and then she smiled at me as she grasped her pen like a five year old. SHe cheerily explained she me that she had lost one of her fingers in her right hand a mere month ago. I was afraid to look down, because I didn't want to be rude. But, she waved her finger in front of me saying that they had down it back on a few weeks ago, and sure enough a big red puffy scar around her finger proved her point. Apparently, she lost it using a sledghammer. For what? she didn't say, but I'm a little curious as to why a mother of two was swinging around a sledgehammer and somehow removed her own finger with it.

[Rae]

Ok, two good stories from tonight's work extravaganza. First one starts with me watching 4 police officers walk in and head straight for the back of the store where the magazines are. There was some commotion and then me and another person I work with realized some teenage kid was getting arrested for stealing from a different store in the area. Really weird and kinda scary.

Next, my favorite story, involves porno mags and a creepy guy. I had to put away magazines in the men's section, which unfortunately include all the Playboy's and Penthouse's etc. Some guy, who resembled a guy you would see on "To Catch a Predator", kept following me around the store for a few minutes. He proceeds to wink and smile at me repeatedly and then wander off to dig through the porno mags. I then tried to get as far away from him as possible near the doors, but about ten mins later he shows up again, winking and smiling. I turned to help a customer and smiled, and he stops and says to me, "You have a beautiful smile. It's so passionate. I like it so much better than before when you weren't smiling."

He then waits for aminute, I'm guessing to see if I rush over to throw myself at his sleek pick up line, or maybe for me to say, "You know, we have the same reading preferences! Let's get dinner some time?"

Yuck. He finally left, but I was grossed out and disturbed the rest of the night.

[TheNthDegree]

I'm sorry, but that totally screams creepy

[Rae]

More fun creepiness. Last night I was at the Customer Service Desk and a call comes in. I answer and its a guy looking for a book about masturbation. I took a minute to see if it was a prank call, but he sounded like he was serious. He says the book was written by a psychiatrist, but he couldn't remember the name of the guy. THe book was supposedly called, "Masturbation: Hardcoming". At this point I already figured something weird was going on and I felt uncomfortable, but I tried to be professional.

I typed in the book but only got a few books about female masturbation and a medical dictionary. I politely told him we don't have the book, but he started to get more aggressive and then proceed to tell me how he was looking to cum harder and longer when he masturbated, etc. etc. I then felt as though someone was molesting me right then and there. I told him to try amazon for something like that, but he kept trying to keep me on the line. I finally hung up the phone, completely disgusted and violated. WHo wants to deal with this at work? I'm just trying to fucking do my job

I told my manager about what happened last night and he said that that isn't the first complaint he's gotten about the same thing. He's pretty sure that this guys keeps calling, hoping for a female employee to answer and then start with the grossness. I have no idea what you do about someone like this, but I really hope he wasn't wacking off while I was talking to him. Or even worse, I hope he doesn't come into the store and stalk the girls that work there. Just not a pleasant experience, especially for someone who has been sexually harassed at work when I was 17. Bleh

[Tim-Æ]

sorry bout that Rae, i think I got the wrong number.

[Black Death]

does the store have caller Id .   I would say if not you could ask the mananger to notify the police and  see if you can trace this caller ... if it keeps happening. because it sounds like he been doing it for awhile and they should not be letting it happen. 

sorry bout that Rae, i think I got the wrong number.

you tim are an evil man lol

[Excaligore]

Geez, doesn't this guy know how to search google?

http://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Masturbation-Angst-Zeal/dp/0940208296

[TaNK]

SInce I am gonna start working there soon, can I add to this?

[Drama Queen]

Really great stories here worth reading, and while I'm renovating the EFK Lit forums I figured I'd bump it. Would love to read more Rae.

[Gates]

Wow, just caught this thread.

I quit my job of 6 years, working at a bookstore, around Christmas because it was being run into the ground and employees who were there for longer then a year were being treated like dirt. Nothing new. But that's not the point...

The point is, that these stories...bring back so many memories and remind me of the good old days when I used to do customer service (ended my tenure in receiving).

Not to hi-jack Rae's thread, but I figured I'd add to it. The most recent occurrence was the weekend before Christmas, 2011, and my co worker and I were walking by the bathroom, chatting, when we heard a loud crash. We thought it was the mirror falling or breaking or something so we go inside and find a smashed beer bottle on the ground, the floor covered in beer. And it's not like it's an isolated incident. I routinely found empty beer bottles and beer cans in the garbage in the mens washroom.

Got to love bookstores in Canada!

(Though that doesn't even begin to top the man who looks like Santa Claus, beard and all, who wears red year round and who I always see in the childrens section).

[Black Death]

love to read more stories , Rae has not been around for while

so add more if you got it