Crazy Days

[maisfeeka]

So Tuesday was a BAD and WEIRD DAY.

It really started Monday late at night (around 11, okay, so that's late for me, I'm OLD!) when my bookcase with all the big hardcover books right by where my cat's food dish is started to collapse. This was a BAD THING.

So at 11 I took out every single book one-by-one lest they all collapse on me and my poor cat at once and found new places to stack them. This was NOT fun.

Then I woke up the next morning singing, "It's Wednesday, it's Wednesday! It's Lost and Alias day!" It was NOT Wednesday. (And no, I don't normally wake up singing silly things like that.)

All manner of little piddly things went wrong so instead of being able to get out the door by 7:50, to let me get into work early and work on a report, I got out the door at 8:15 so that I would be barely on time for work instead.

But, I thought that I would have just enough time to drive through Dunkin Donuts in order to get me a nice treat of a Vanilla Chai. The line was out to the ROAD. (And that's a LOOONG way for this Dunkin Donuts!) So I went to work Chai-less.

And then got my aide and I into hysterical fits of laughter while retelling my night and morning (and adding in the Zodiac killer fears from Saturday night for good measure). (I'm Irish, once it's over it's all good for a joke!)

Actually, the rest of the day was quite good so I decided to attempt to make a trip to Borders to buy a book. Now, I apologize in advance to anyone (Brix?) who actually works at a Borders and has a brain (I fear there are few of you, and none in my town), but I never go to Borders because everyone I have had to deal with there lacks the brain of a dead fruit fly - and most of them are rude to boot! But, I had a 25% off coupon in my hot, sweaty, little hand and a great desire to buy a book which had just come out in paperback that day which I'd been waiting for for well over a year...



It is important to know that the reason I knew the book was going to be out in stores that day was because the publisher/author's website had sent me a notification the night before and Barnes and Nobles had emailed me that day saying it was out (since I'd been on their notification list for some time). I pretty much exclusively shop at B&N as Borders is relatively new in the area and I am a creature of habit (and,, as I said, the few times I'd ventured in = NOT SO MUCH FUN). Plus B&N is easier to get into and out of (traffic and lights-wise) even though the stores are probably barely a quarter of a mile apart.

But... 25% off... And for a bookaholic like me... That's a good thing.

So in I went and happily over to new releases. All FOUR areas of new paperback releases scattered throughout the store. No book.

Then to mystery/thriller where I found the other books by the author, but not that one.

So I went to their computer search system and checked. Yep. Book was in. 10 copies available in the store. In mystery/thriller and/or new release. Went back and checked again in case I was brainless and clueless. No book.

Back to computer. Checked map to see if there was some *other* mystery/thriller area I had missed. No.

Went and checked regular literature just in case. No book.

Wandered around looking desperately for someone working there who could help me. NO ONE. (Except at the cafe.) Finally found someone. Who passed me off to someone else.

They said, "Did you try looking in New Releases?"
Me: "Yes."
Them: "Did you look in mystery/thriller under the author's name?"
Me: "Yes"
Them: "Let's go look again anyway."

So we did. I showed them where the author's other books were because they seemed to have some difficulty with the whole alphabetizing thing and could not figure out where the "L's" might be.

Them: "Huh. It's not here. Let's check new releases again."

So back to new releases then back to the "L's" then back to the computer where they looked it up again.

Them: "Huh... Oh, I see! It's not due to be released until JUNE!"
Me: "Huh... that's not what the publisher and Barnes and Nobles (your biggest competitor, just down the street, where I wanted to go originally except for this coupon) said."
Them: "How do you know that's what they said?"

So I explained about the emails and they called their supervisor.

Who came down and said, "Huh, that's funny. Out inventory says it's in the store and one of these dates looks like it might mean today is the release date but this one here says it's in June. Come back in June."

Employee One explained that I was sure it was being released today.

Supervisor turned to me and in a nasty snippy way (and I don't generally feel like people are nasty and snippy, so...) said, "And what *exactly* makes you think it might be being released today?" (With the understood "you annoying idiot" left off in a pretense of civility.)

I explained about the publisher email and the B&N (biggest competitor - just down the street - has the book out TODAY) email thing. She rolled her eyes and said she'd go look upstairs to see if it hadn't been put out and was still up there somewhere, but it wasn't coming out till JUNE (probably, unless the other date was right), but that was okay, she'd waste her time to humor poor little loser me.

So, we waited, me feeling rather stupid and edgy and now having been in the store for well over half an hour. I made a joke about me always having to cause problems to which Employee One very eagerly explained (as if I was a very small child - of which I am neither small nor could I be mistaken for a child) that no, it was GOOD that I had come to them because, "If one person comes in with that question there are going to be MORE people coming in with that very same question and we should figure out the answer now so we'll know for them!"

He seemed very kind and well-meaning and he was really trying to be helpful so I just took it as a GOOD THING and tried not to back away nervously.

Supervisor Woman called a few minutes later and told him, no there was no book up there.

He explained this to me as being either (1)because they had misplaced all ten copies of the book and no one had any idea where they might be or that (2)the book really *wasn't* coming out till June. By then I just wanted to escape. (And go to Barnes and Nobles and buy my book which I should have done in the first place!)

He went on to ask if I'd like to be put on the waiting list - again, the boy would do marvelously well talking to small children - and explained with wide-eyed excitement how that meant that if they happened to find the books or when they came out in June they could call me and even if there was a big run on the store - pause for emphasis - there would be a BOOK WAITING FOR ME!!! They would SAVE it so that I would not come in and be disappointed when I discovered that they had all been sold and wasn't that just remarkable.

I was trying not to stare at him in amazement through this all and did through sheerest force of will managed NOT to say, "The hell??? Did you not hear the Barnes and Nobles thing? Do you honestly think I'm not going to drive the 2 minutes to B&N and buy the book there TODAY????"

Instead I politely responded that I would think about it and give him a call if I decided to do that. He beamed with joy and said that would be great, because you know what? They can now do that OVER THE PHONE TOOO!!!!!

I'm afraid my grin did falter a bit at that point and I made a hasty retreat - almost exiting the store with a copy of Douglas Adams's The Salmon of Doubt which was indeed not mine. So I thought, well, I'll use the 25% off thingy on this and THEN go to B&N. So I made my way to the counter.

Where there were about 7 people in line and one person at register. Said Register Person was looking at every SINGLE book of the first person in line and going "Ooooh! Look at this! How interesting!" and reading parts of the back cover of the book before very carefully scanning the code, checking (and doublechecking) that the price that rang up and the price on the book were the same, before reaching for the next book and going, "Ooooh! Look at this..." etc, etc.

I returned the book to the New Release table and left the store. I knew there was no way I could make it through that wait. Not without completely losing it and wreaking vast havoc on the store and the (relatively) innocent customers there.

I was at Barnes and Nobles, had located the book (yes, what do you know it HAD been released that day!!), paid for it and was in my car heading home in less than 8 minutes all told.

This is why when people say, "But why don't you try Borders?" that I roll my eyes and want to weep.

Perhaps it is just me. Perhaps I am a twit magnet or perhaps the sane employees see me coming and know that I am too nice for my own good and thus send the inept people to help me while secretly filming me and laughing hysterically as I try to maintain my politeness. (I half wondered if perhaps I was on "The New Candid Camera" or MTV's "Boiling Point" - and damn I would have won!)

In any case, this always happens to me when I go to Borders and thus I shall (once again) vow to give it a miss regardless of how many 25% off coupons they tempt me with.



In other news...

Sings... "It's Wednesday, it's Wednesday! It's Lost and Alias day!"

Comments

[akathorne.livejournal.com]

The Borders in my town usually has new releases and decent store employees....but, they are always, always, always overrun with goth kids, just SITTING in the aisle.

Of course, these kids always sit in the sci-fi/fantasty aisle, which is pretty much the only ailse I browse regularly. I've asked the management to do something about 4 times now, and everytime I go in, there they are. Last time, they were having a PICNIC, with hamburgers and fries, all over the aisle. I complained to the manager, said I had complained before, and told them I'd be shopping across the street (at B&N) or online from now on. It's just not worth the effort, EVERYTIME I go there, to deal with that crap.

[shadesofbrixton.livejournal.com]

*dies laughing so hard omg*

you have no idea - NO IDEA - how often this happens in our store. as much as i make fun of the customers, i really ought to make fun of my coworkers a bit more as well, because good god i work with some seriously mentally handicapped people. one woman refused, REFUSED, to learn the computer locating system because she claimed that she did not intend to learn computers for her job here. ....whatthefuck. most employees just don't give a crap.

sadly, stupid stuff like this happens every day. books that just damn well can't be found because they were never unpacked or never shelved correctly or never entered into the computer the right way. it makes me oh-so-warm-and-fuzzy to know that, as a cafe seller, i don't have to deal with that. (you don't get a whole lot of people wanting to buy cookbooks the day they're released.) that said, it would be nice if i didn't work with mental zombies.

also - i think our description of on-the-phone-holds and the vapid employee who helped you made me pee myself a little. so much love. so. much. love.

[maisfeeka.livejournal.com]

Haven't seen any goth kids at this one - not that I'm ever there except on days when my stupid factor (or blind optimism factor)goes sky-high. There would not be room for the goth kids to sit in the SciFi aisle easily here. There is barely room for one person to walk down much less to pass anyone. (You need to wait or go around.) It is one of the worst laid out bookstores I have ever had the displeasure of being in - huge open-ish atrium, TONS of wasted space there, and the books all crammed in at one side and to the back. Bleah.

[akathorne.livejournal.com]

That's how this one is too, actually, hence my frustration. Because when the kids are sitting there, there is NO WAY to get to the books. And it's not like, 2 kids you could ask to move, it's a PACK - 8-10 of them, crammed in, with FOOD...it just makes me insane, so I can't go back there.

[maisfeeka.livejournal.com]

I actually found myself wondering if any of the people who work there can actually read or if they think the books are "just for pretty" and you pick them to color coordinate with your rooms. Or perhaps use them for doorstops?

Yes, Poor Employee One... I wanted to say, "Wow! You guys have *phones* now??? Totally high tech!" He acted as if calling to put a book on hold was top of the line cutting edge technology which no one else had ever thought of before.

Sadly, he failed to impress me. ;)

I swear, if I had been *literally* biting my tongue, instead of just figuratively, they'd have had to call me an ambulance for bloodloss - and perhaps to reattach my tongue. My mom thinks I should write a letter to the management, but I honestly don't think the management gives a damn.

[maisfeeka.livejournal.com]

Yes, what is the point of even *going* there? And you can't complain to anyone because they just look at you as if you were speaking another language. Yep. I'm sticking with Barnes and Noble, thank you very much!

[akathorne.livejournal.com]

Exactly. B&N isn't perfect, but I can actually see and buy books, which is kind of the point! Hee.

[maisfeeka.livejournal.com]

The original B&N in our town was *gorgeous*. In an old furniture/carpet showroom. Huge wooden bookcases, lovely little hideaways with chairs, open, but lots of books and just huge. Airy, open, not *too* brightly lit - kind of like an old time library.

The new one - loud, metal bookcases, chairs in big open groupings (which is okay unless you like that tucked away feeling), much more modern and brash, and not as much room to move about. Much better selection than Borders, though, and many of the staff members have actual working brains. Some of them even read books!

[akathorne.livejournal.com]

Hee! And they SELL them too! Impressive! I actually shop mostly at Amazon lately, but sometimes you just need to go in and hold the book in your hands, you know?

[firiel44.livejournal.com]

I hate, hate, *hate* it when computers do that! Yes, I really do blame the computer first, though there was some serious vapidity going on there as well. Crap like that happens to me all the time, like a book that wasn't coming out until March but somehow the audio was supposedly available in Jan. There is also a strong possibility that a mindless retail drone mis-shelved your treasure before the person in charge of display tables got to it. (Though in my store, this would be swiftly corrected by a certain ADD-riddled Yankee.) There is also a good possibility that their warehouse is run by idiots who will swear up and down that they put ten copies on a truck which they then aimed at your store, but in reality the books just don't exist. (This has happened to us too, and on a major release.) Or they have the book on hand, but *their* computer says "not until June", so they don't ship it. Point being, there are at least ten ways that this isn't these people's fault, even if they are idiots. (The person in charge of their displays and new releases should be shot.)

Sadly, most customers do have to be treated like two-year-olds, and do need everything explained to them at least twice, using small words. I can usually pick out the ones that actually have two brain cells to rub together, but it's best to play it safe. Checkout Girl, on the other hand, is just way too easily entertained. And you're right, management probably doesn't care (again, considering the state of their feature tables) but their website probably lists the email of someone who is paid to care.

[maisfeeka.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I agree. Most of my shopping is done at Amazon, but I love to wander through a bookstore and pick up random books and look at them, read a page or two, etc... Especially if I'm looking for a new author. I want to *see* and feel and skim the book before I buy it.

[audrich.livejournal.com]

I'm so, so sorry, Mai, but I *LMAO* at your Borders experience - I started out in a book dept of a multi-national and I SWEAR I could hear myself in some of those staff *faepalms*

I would LOVE you as a customer :)

Did you enjoy Lost and Alias - my US flist is hyper about both :D

[maisfeeka.livejournal.com]

Oh, I totally expect to be treated like a two-year-old. I fully understand the idiocy of the common customer. I do, however, expect that they will be polite to me and not roll their eyes and huff at me when I explain calmly and logically why it is that I believe something to be true. And you'd think that once I had successfully led them not only to the new release tables (which they seemed to have some difficulty finding), but also to the section containing the author's other books (which they were having *great* difficulty finding) that they might at that point have cause to feel that I might be able to tie my own shoelaces.

I do think Over-Eager Employee One was very well-meaning and sweet, if frighteningly slow at catching my big hints that I was on my way to Barnes and Nobles, but his supervisor was rude and condescending to both him and to me. Now I'm also fully willing to accept that perhaps he "deserved" it for some reason I wasn't privy to or perhaps she was simply having a terrible day and that was the last straw. I bear neither of them any ill will - which is partly why I don't really want to write and complain.

However, this happens *every* time I go into that store and has only happened *once* at B&N (and I heard later that that employee was let go a month or so later for incompetence) out of all my many many trips there. Therefore, I'm gonna save me a whole lot of stress on the politeness glands and simply not go to Borders. :)

Though it does make for funny stories later!

[maisfeeka.livejournal.com]

Hey Aud! No worries. :) I find it very amusing myself now. At the time... I was so amazed that I couldn't even be angry, just total disbelief. ;)

I'll be your customer anytime. I'm sure *you* would have known I was headed to Barnes and Nobles even if you couldn't have said anything! :)

As for Alias and Lost... I think they should have reversed the ending on Lost as it would have been more dramatic to end with the raft thing, but... I'm not the one being paid lots of bucks to decide and I'm sure they had their reasons.

Alias was silly - good silly in many parts, but kinda stupid silly in others. The ending made me laugh hysterically.

Overall, I did really enjoy them both - Lost more than Alias, but I think Lost hasn't lost its focus quite as much as Alias. :)