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Things We Never Told You: Ode to a Bookstore Death

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Borders may be dead now, but the booksellers at one store got in one last swipe at the customers.

Someone posted this sign in a Borders store in the last few days before it closed. The massive list reflects the years of pent up frustration and ager at hearing the same thing from customers week after week.

But most of this list actually say more about the employee who wrote it. This is someone who burned out a while ago and really should have found a new job. For example, getting pissed about "quick question" is a sure sign of too much stress.

via reddit

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Comments


Bob Mayer September 19, 2011 um 5:22 pm

And the employee wonders why he/she is looking for a job?

monopole September 19, 2011 um 6:32 pm

Amen to that.

The arrogance and nasty-mindedness in that list was astounding.

On the whole my experience with the Borders Staff was very good, but there was plenty of idiots on either end of the spectrum, ranging from the functionally illiterate to pretentious gits, like this one.

This git is no better than a staffmember at a boutique who is convinced that all of the customers have no taste and are shoplifters. And snickers at the customers he considers fat.


MNielsen September 19, 2011 um 6:09 pm

That is just sad on so many level!


Common Sense September 19, 2011 um 6:58 pm

No wonder I never really shopped there! There was something about the ambience that I just didn’t like, I preferred B&N across the street.

As for being asked to find a book by the color of it’s cover, I worked as a library tech in a research library for 10 years and was asked that question more times than you would believe. And yes, I was able to find the book. If you’re serious about your job in a bookstore or a library, you get VERY familiar with the most-used resources and can usually figure out what the customer wants. This person didn’t really care.


Tyler September 19, 2011 um 11:41 pm

It wasn’t as bad a list that I thought it was going to be and some of it is pretty funny.


Tyler September 20, 2011 um 9:05 am

I heard from a reliable source that this was posted in the McLean Borders store.


SinisterX October 16, 2011 um 3:57 am

Anyone who does not agree with this sign has never worked retail or is new to the game. I work in a bookstore and ALL of these problems are things we deal with every day. And no, I have not burnt out. Customers are PIGS…that is a fact. I won’t say that they all are, but no: This sign speaks volumes about the kind of hell the average retail employee goes through and how little the customer cares that they treat the employees like a glorified Google.


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