Definitely In Your Bad Books

(I’m guilty here. Part of my job is to process orders over the phone, where we also have the option to pay that way by credit card, which is a giant pain in the neck to do and takes anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. I’m most of the way through one of these longer ones.)

Caller: “You know, on second thought, I’ll just go to [Online Bookseller].” *hangs up without even saying goodbye*

(I kind of go nuts because I’d just wasted most of an hour. I strangle the phone receiver for a couple seconds, and slam it down way too hard on the hook while stomping my foot, all in total silence. Realizing that I was flipping out in front of customers, I turned on my brightest smile instead.)

Me: “Hi! Sorry for the wait. How can I help you?”

Customer: “… That is the single most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen in a bookstore. You’re not going to bite, are you?”