tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18086590.post115211924052942019..comments2023-12-23T05:12:55.809-05:00Comments on The Written Nerd: Comment: Shelving 101, or, Organic Organization (with helpful vocabulary words)Book Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02896226559142059293noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18086590.post-7352436147171885452008-09-05T06:38:00.000-04:002008-09-05T06:38:00.000-04:00We focus on bring the best hp dv8100 battery sales...We focus on bring the best <A HREF="http://www.batteryfast.com/hp/dv8100.htm" REL="nofollow">hp dv8100 battery</A> sales to our customers and strong desire our customers can buy their satisfaction hp dv8100 laptop battery. We are committed to providing customers with high-quality, high-capacity and low price dv8100 laptop batteries.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18086590.post-1152276307186972342006-07-07T08:45:00.000-04:002006-07-07T08:45:00.000-04:00I have to agree with Andy on pretty much every poi...I have to agree with Andy on pretty much every point here. Bad customer service is a fault of bookstore managers, who may tend to hire folks they think are like-minded (i.e., they read a lot, or they're a friend of a friend), and then are reluctant to fire them or retrain them when they turn out to be less than an asset to the store. It's one of my greatest pet peeves with indie bookstores that could otherwise be great, and a complaint that I often hear -- snobby or rude bookstore employees are the shame of our stores. Hiring and training pleasant, knowledgeable staff isn't just a decent thing to do -- it's good business sense for independents who bank on their relationships with regulars to stay afloat. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with hiring -- as Andy says, try another store, because you probably didn't want to work there anyway.<BR/><BR/>I love hearing about sections like "everything Shakespeare" and "identity"! This creative browsability is what makes indies unique and allows customers to discover books they might never have thought to look for. Our store has an "urban arts" section that's separate from art or design -- it features books on graffitti, skateboarding, street art, etc., and it's selling quite well in our creative urban neighborhood.<BR/><BR/>And thanks for the tips on bookstores to visit! I met the owner of Morningside at a bookseller get-together and he seemed great -- I'll definitely include them in my local bookstore tour. Any other suggestions most welcome!Book Nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02896226559142059293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18086590.post-1152270861054922742006-07-07T07:14:00.000-04:002006-07-07T07:14:00.000-04:00Thanks! Yes, I've always found bookstore owners a...Thanks! Yes, I've always found bookstore owners amazingly open to discussing their business practices -- it's one of the best parts of the business: that encouraging attitude toward so-called competitor-booksellers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18086590.post-1152242000154784212006-07-06T23:13:00.000-04:002006-07-06T23:13:00.000-04:00A couple of thoughts - First you should check out ...A couple of thoughts - <BR/><BR/>First you should check out Cornerstone Books in Salem, MA. The owners were very helpful in my own personal research (I just emailed them on their generic email address from the bookstore site) and they have an interesting system where they do everything by subject - so if you go to "Shakespeare" in their store you'll find every play, audio, video, etc on Shakespeare. It's similar to what you'll find when you do a search online. <BR/><BR/>Also if you're starting to talk to local booksellers about their stores you should check out Morningside Bookshop - its right near Labyrinth so you're probably familiar with it. I didn't necessarily agree with all of the owners ideas but he was really nice about talking to me. <BR/><BR/>Also a shoutout to Andy Laties - I bought your book there (at Morningside) and loved it! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18086590.post-1152195794237846402006-07-06T10:23:00.000-04:002006-07-06T10:23:00.000-04:00On the subject of shelving: I think that given the...On the subject of shelving: I think that given the competition of online retailers it's become more important to explore creative mix-and-match shelving in bookstores. My "identity" section at Eric Carle Museum Store is the Picture Books For Grown-ups area, which is quite a hodgepodge of categories, united only by the fact that all the books are really interestingly illustrated. People love this section. Although I know that many of the books in it are quite widely available, lots of customers -- well educated, literate people -- tell me they've never seen any of these books before.<BR/><BR/>On the subject of hiring: Because bookstores pay very badly relative to the other employment opportunities available to their necessarily well-educated (or at least well-read) workers, there's moderately high turnover among bookstore staffs. That's why the workers in bookstores are disproportionately young: you can't easily raise a family on a bookstore floor-staff-worker's income. People who stay in the business can do so because they've moved into doing less work on the sales floor, generally speaking. Of course there's no excuse for surly customer service, and the bookstores in question are definitely being hurt by this behavior among the staff. So, when one encounters cliquish or standoffish attitudes among staff in a bookstore, one is not actually learning about the individuals one is encountering. One is learning about poor management. It's up to managers to find ways to keep floor-staff friendly and motivated and interested.<BR/><BR/>Grumpy salespeople, ergo, grumpy backroom. You should apply for work only where there are happy workers, I'd say, and not worry too much about being rejected for the opportunity of working among unhappy people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18086590.post-1152160530713457712006-07-06T00:35:00.000-04:002006-07-06T00:35:00.000-04:00I'll start by saying that I enjoy your blog, and f...I'll start by saying that I enjoy your blog, and find these posts about the nuances of bookselling fascinating. My question does not really relate directly to the entry on shelving, but it has to do with bookselling.<BR/><BR/>I am curious to know how you plan on or currently go about hiring staff? What do you look for? I am asking this because I recently interviewed for a job at a local independent bookstore (the only one in the area). I thought the interview went well but I did not get the job. I was certainly disappointed because I have always wanted to try bookselling and feel that I would be really good at it. <BR/><BR/>Even before I applied at this store, I began to notice that their staff choices always seemed a little off. I often hear from both fellow bibliophiles and casual reader friends about how they feel intimidated by these people. The store in question seems to hire people who fit a certain look. Their appearance is often bookish but in such a way that corresponds to a certain hipness and all of them (barring those who helped get the store going during the 70's) are attractive twentysomethings. These staff members are aloof and they often prove to barely know what they are talking about (one friend told me a story where the clerk he asked had no idea where to find books written by Saul Bellow). <BR/><BR/>However, not all of them are bad. The older ones who work there are much more helpful as is one girl who works at one of their locations (there are two). In fact, when I started going there, one staff member even went so far as helping me find a new book every week. This had a tremendous impact on me and I can thank him for my enrollment in Graduate School. The books gave me a passion for literature that has continually grown. Yet, a good number of them really seem unfriendly and uninfomred.<BR/><BR/>I hope I do not sound too much like someone who is merely bitter because he did not get the job. This whole thing had been on my mind for some time beforehand and has discouraged me from shopping at this store in the past. I still shop there because I always try to give as little business as possible to the big chains. I'd love to open a shop of my own someday and staff it with friendly people who may not look cool, but are accessible and knowledgeable. I am curious if you and your readers have seen this at other bookstores? Is it a common occurence, or is my small city unique? <BR/><BR/>-MichaelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com