(I am in line at a bookstore, intending to purchase a large volume on the insects of Australia. With some other books, the whole purchase is well over $200. As I’m standing in line at the register to buy the books, I’m leafing through the insect book to see what it says. A clerk comes out of nowhere and scowls at me.)

Clerk: “Please don’t mangle that book. It’s very expensive.”

Me: “I’m not mangling it. I’m reading it.”

Clerk: “We encourage browsing, but that book is very expensive. Please put it back and stop mangling it.”

Me: “Well, I was going to buy it, but okay. I’ll put it back.”

Clerk: “Wait, you’re buying it? Why didn’t you say so?”

Me: “I thought that the fact I was standing in a line behind three people with my wallet out was clue enough. But I won’t be buying it now, because of your rudeness. I’ll buy it somewhere else. I hope you find another entomologist who likes a $150 scientific textbook on the local insects!”

(I left the store. The last thing I saw was the bookstore manager coming over to the clerk with a VERY displeased look on his face.)

Me: “Hi! How can I help you?”

Customer: “Hey, do you have The Bible?”

Me: “Yeah, heaps. Let me—”

Customer: “No.” *looking at phone* “I need The Bible by the author… King James!”

Me: “…”

Customer: “Do you have it?”

Me: “Sure…”

(I’m working in the kids’ section of our bookstore.)

Customer: “Hi, I’m looking for the fourth book in the ‘Beyonders’ series.”

Me: “Oh, well, ‘Beyonders’ is a trilogy.”

Customer: “Okay. Do you have the fourth book?”

Me: “It’s a trilogy, so there isn’t a fourth book. But I can show you some of the other books by that author. He’s pretty popular!”

Customer: “No, my son wants the fourth book of the Beyonders, not something else. Can you order it for me?”

Me: “No, because there isn’t a fourth book.”

Customer: “My son SAID he wants the FOURTH BOOK. Just show me where they are and I’ll find it myself.”

(I show her where the three books are. After combing through the shelf for five minutes, the woman leaves empty handed and angry.)

Customer: “I’ll just order it online!”

(I apply for a job with a popular bookstore chain and get a call that the manager wants to interview me. I am told to arrive at a certain time and let an employee know I have arrived.)

Me: *approaching an employee* “Excuse me, [Manager] is expecting me for a job interview. Could you let him know?”

Employee: “Sure.” *leaves, but returns rather quickly* “I’m sorry; [Manager] is in a meeting right now. It may be an hour or so.”

Me: “That’s fine.”

(I go sit in the cafe to wait. Two hours go by and I still don’t see the manager.)

Me: *approaching same employee* “Hi, me again. Is the meeting over with?”

Employee: *after checking* “I’m sorry they’re still in the meeting. He said it should be another two hours.”

(Really needing this job I decide to wait again. Occasionally I check in with the employee about the meeting and each time told just a bit longer. Finally after six hours of waiting I get fed up.)

Me: “I don’t mean to sound rude but could you tell [Manager] to come out here so we can reschedule or something? I’ve been here a long time.”

Employee: “Oh, [Manager] left two hours ago. The meeting ended and he went home.”

(Needless to say I never got the interview, or the job.)

(There is a book series I like reading that has illustrated covers that look more like children’s books. Unfortunately, this store has a bad habit of putting them in the section for kids rather in the adult or sci-fi sections that they normally go in.)

Me: “Ma’am, this book doesn’t belong in the children’s section.”

Manager: “What? Why? Its cover looks like a child’s book.”

Me: “Well there’s the sex scenes for one.”

Manager: “The vendor places those, but I’ll ask about it.”

(The following year the same thing happened with the next book in the series.)

Me: “Ma’am, this book isn’t a children’s book.”

Manager #1: “Oh? The cover looks like a children’s book.”

Me: “The sex isn’t that graphic in this one but it’s pretty obvious where he’s touching her.”

Manager #1: “What?!”

Me: *shows page*

Manager #1: “Follow me!” *brings me to Manager #2* “Tell her what you found.”

Me: “This book was in the children’s section even though it has some very adult sexual situations.” *shows page*

Manager #2: “What? This is in the book? Get [Manager #3].”

Manager #3: “What’s the problem?”

(I don’t know if they moved the books out of that section or not, but I do know all three managers looked VERY interested in the book after reading that page! I can only hope, now that HBO has turned the books into a popular show called ‘True Blood,’ that the vendors aren’t trying to shove them into the kiddie sections anymore!)