Random Language Award:
Seems that this week was the week for people to ask for interesting language learning products. A woman asked me for language books on Israeli. Not Hebrew or Yiddish, but Israeli. When we looked and couldn't find anything I said I didn't think there were any books on that. she got annoyed. I offered to look for books on Hebrew. She declined and turned back to the section.
A young girl approached me and asked where my section of software on learning Macedonian would be. Sorry, we don't have one. She wanted to know if we had Rosetta Stone for Macedonian. I told her she would probably have to check directly with the company because we only carry the major languages like Spanish, French, Italian. she gave me a look like I was crazy.
Everyone must learn Macedonian!
Weird Reaction Award:
We had inventory this Sunday. So on Saturday I was hanging up the tags on each shelf. As I worked through the Science Fiction Section there was a customer browsing. I excused myself as I reached past him to hang a tag. "You have an audit coming up?" he asked.
"Yes, we have inventory tomorrow," I said.
"I know RGIS," he said (RGIS is the company that comes in and does our inventory.)
As soon as he had said that his eyes widened and he looked around almost frantically and scuttled away.
I'm on the run from RGIS! They're going to make me count books!
Then he avoided eye contact with me the rest of the time I was in the section. I think he owed them money.
Time Waster Award:
On Monday a customer came into the store looking for a drawing book. The catch? He had hidden the book in the baseball section to "save" it, but then couldn't find it when he returned. So he expected US to help him find it.
What do drawing and baseball have in common? Silly customers, that's what!
Irony Award:
While reshelving a book in the Young Adult section, a co-worker found the following note inside of a Twilight book... (contents have been mildly edited to make them family friendly)
Get a life, you retard!
If you are reading this, you have probably bought this. You also probably have no idea what good literature is, or a boyfriend. Return this book/put it down. Break your razer blade, and go to the self-help section of Borders.
- your Superior
Somehow I think you are the one that needs to get a life if you have time to write and plant notes like this...
11 comments:
i've never actually thought about leaving notes in books... i could totally see myself doing that in books with plot holes, just a little post it right where the hole is
A woman asked me for language books on Israeli.
?!?!?
She wanted to know if we had Rosetta Stone for Macedonian.
Ha! Even in a well-stocked superstore, that has to be like going into a novelty shop and expecting to find, I don't know, Günter in the vanity keychains.
I'm on the run from RGIS! They're going to make me count books!
Hahahahahahahahahaha!!! Awesome photo!
On Monday a customer came into the store looking for a drawing book. The catch? He had hidden the book in the baseball section to "save" it, but then couldn't find it when he returned.
When I worked in a comics shop we'd often find a stack of various issues hidden somewhere, like we weren't perfectly happy to hold them for customers. And like we did know who put them there. So when (if) the customer came back and fessed up to stashing them, by way of asking where they were, we explained that since we didn't know who put them there we had to re-rack them, which somehow made us the bad guys.
VW: snestou — The sound of sneezing into your arm.
Everying should learn Macedonian, silly.
And I totally want to stick notes in books now! Can you imagine what craziness I could ensue with the ridiculous friends I have? Mwahahahaha... >:)
VW: yobbi, the Yobbi desert! Oh, wait.
I can't believe someone hid that note in a book! Granted Twilight isn't exactly a great work of literature, but still, to each their own! I once witnessed someone put a copy of "The Satanic Bible" in the Christianity/Spirituality section at Chapters. Some people just like to get folks worked up.
I'd never considered leaving notes in books either - it wasn't the note, per se, that I was bothered by, but the vulgar language I edited out!
@Blam: I never understood why people would try to hide things rather than just asking us to hold them. Sillies.
@Ashlie: For a while we had a battle with one group putting Bibles in the Atheism section and one group putting Witchcraft books in the Christian section. So obnoxious!
also, there's an award for you on me blog if you wish to partake
Macedonian...oh, that's priceless. Do you have any Rosetta Stones for ancient Mayan or Sumerian while you're at it?
Is there even an Israeli language? Isn't Hebrew the official language of Israel (or am I showing my American ignorance here)?
Inventory, ha! Our store's inventory is next weekend. Must be that time of year.
Okay, seriously. I have worked at B&N for almost thirteen years, and while I'm certainly aware that customers hide books for themselves all over the store, I've never had anyone ask me to help them find a book they hid. And I thought I'd heard everything.
Our store has ongoing problem in which conservatives go through the Current Affairs section and flip the first book in a faceout of liberal-leaning books backwards so the back of the book would face out, as though that would somehow single-handedly destroy the opinions contained therein (and sometimes, they just cover up the faceout with a right-leaning book).
It used to drive our Current Affairs Lead crazy. "I don't care about your politics," she'd say, "just leave my damn books alone!"
On the subject of "Twilight", a few weeks I walked passed a group of girls in our Teen section. I heard one of them remark, "fine, I'll read it, but there better not be no dumbass vampires in it." :D
The basic rule is: Israeli is a nationality, Hebrew is a language, Judaism is a relgion. ("Jewishness" can be a cultural identity for non-religious Jews.) Now, in ancient times, the Israelites were also referred to as the Hebrews, but it's never gone the other way around; Israeli is not a language.
@Falen: THANKS! I'll go take a look when I have more than two seconds to rub together. I'm off Saturday! Wheee!!! an extreme rarity for me, so maybe I'll do it then :D
@Teebore: This year I was in charge of assigning and hanging all of the inventory tickets and then assigning and gathering the test sections. I didn't realize how much it had gotten to me until the night after inventory I had a nightmare that sheafs of paper covered in section numbers were chasing me around the store. HA!
@Sonshine... gfk... That is the nest dream ever... ahahahahaha...
Because nest means to have a super cool dream.
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