Was in a bookshop and asked a worker if he could recommend books to me. He said "Sure, they're great."
--@ItsAndyRyan (courtesy of From My Shelf Books & Gifts, Wellsboro, Pa.)
For almost a decade in my misspent youth, I worked in a supermarket, where "customer service" often meant fielding complaints. Most people go to grocery stores because they have to, and the sooner the experience is over the better.
Bookshops are different. Patrons walk through the front door because they really want to. Booksellers enjoy the company of most of their customers, who tend to be nice people... and fellow readers to boot. (FYI: The worst customer I ever dealt with as a bookseller was better than the average customer I encountered daily working in a supermarket.)
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| The columnist as bookseller, circa 1993 | |
Still, even the most supportive bookstore patrons can occasionally cross the line without realizing those lines exist. ("Do you have that red book that was on the display over there last week?").
One of our most loyal bookstore customers was a corporate consultant for the hotel, cruise ship, and restaurant industry. A great believer in the importance of "the last three feet," he focused on that critical moment when a member of the company's staff personally, physically, psychologically, and emotionally transfers "product"--a meal, a room key, an entertainment recommendation--across the unfathomable gap between the company and an individual consumer/guest. This is essentially the job description for a frontline bookseller.
I've been collecting social media reels with something of a "last three feet" vibe recently and thought it would be fun to showcase some of them in a kind of Bookstore Customer Service Reels Festival here. (And yes, I know there are some bookshops getting multiple looks on the list, but then again I'm the one who's making up the rules here.)
Without further ado, let the show begin:
Customer Behavior
Gallery Books, New York City, & actor/author Charlie Sheen: "Waiting in line to buy my new book. (Turns out NYT isn't the only 'list' I'm hoping to climb.)"
Lost & Bound Bookstore Bookstore & Soda Bar, Oklahoma City, Okla.: " 'A customer wants to talk to you.' 'Why me?' 'Because you're the manager?' 'You're the owner?' "
Troubadour Booksellers, Charlotte, N.C.: "Us when people don't put the books back on the shelf." And: "When you check on a customer but they don't need any help (get rejected but make it slay)."
The Cupid Bookshop, Philadelphia, Pa.: "When you ask our free employee (Tina's husband) about his romance book knowledge."
Little Gay Bookstore, Columbus, Ohio: "I'm sorry it's so ridiculous how Starbucks has just completely hijacked the term macchiato customers, it's not your fault I promise."
Kiss & Tale: A Romance Bookshop, Collingswood, N.J.: " 'Excuse me, do you work here?' 'No, I'm just a huge fan.' (Tbh our paychecks just end up right back in the store anyway!)"
Cedar Canoe Books, Huntsville, Ont., Canada: "When a customer walks in when you're in the middle of a gossip session. (Just kidding, we love your interruptions!)" And: "I don't understand your special order policy. Can you break it down for me?"
Red Books, Wexford, Ireland: "You never know what you'll pick up in a bookshop."
Booksellers on the Job
Bookverse, Kathmandu, Nepal: "When your boss is watching and you forget how to work."
Orchard House Books, Grand Rapids, Mich.: "When the section you've been shelving has customers in it. (No worries, we'll just come back later!!)"
Copperfish Books, Punta Gorda, Fla.: "When you're in the zone at work but your coworker is socially starved for conversation. ("Some days are for productivity... but also for sharing every stray thought you've ever had with your coworker.)" And: "This is how it feels when a customer puts down our book recommendations."
Wonderland Books, Bethesda, Md.: "Searching our job descriptions for where it says we have to be in these reels." ("When you applied to work at a bookstore, not become an unpaid influencer.")
Under the Umbrella Bookstore, Salt Lake City, Utah: "Looking for a book and remembering it's on the staff recommendation shelf." And: "Looking for a good book recommendation? Just ask Alexa!"
Ah, the life of a bookseller at the last three feet. Earlier this week, the Bookseller reported that British publisher Phoenix, an imprint of Orion, acquired Receipts from the Bookshop, a "life-affirming celebration of bad weather, good books, and the irreplaceable joy of a good bookshop," by Katie Clapham. She is a co-founder of Storytellers, Inc. in Lytham St Annes, and the voice behind a popular Substack, Receipt from the Bookshop.
From her September 22 entry: "My husband stops by to collect something (does he need a nickname at this point? is he a recurring character yet?) and I immediately ask him to mind the shop for a mo. When I come back he's reading Q+A by Adrian Tomine--'what's this?! he says, incredulous that I've never shown him this book that appeals to one of his specific interests (pens and pencils).... Outside, someone suddenly shouts 'JUST GET ME A DONUT' and he says 'are you going to write that down?' which of course, I am. I am predictable like that." And later: "A lady comes to collect her order 'I'm here for that book I can't pronounce!' "