Yes, yes, I'm a huge dork :-)
9 years ago
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Please, Judge the Book by the Cover
Last weekend, I returned to Roanoke, VA for a "bachelorette" weekend hosted by my college girlfriends. While it seems pretty rowdy, it really wasn't. But it was a beautiful weekend in the Blue Ridge Mountains, back on the campus of Hollins. We spent most of Saturday in downtown Roanoke, which has an awesome farmer's market and some great little shops. One of my favorite shops has always been Cantos, an independent bookstore. Being a bookstore fanatic, I always found it really refreshing to be able to just wander around and browse a tiny, locally-owned store.
Last weekend, that all changed (insert dramatic music here).
Upon entering the store with some friends, the woman working accosted us immediately. "Are you looking for yourself or doing some Christmas shopping?" We assured her that we were just browsing - which, for most of us, means looking around and then buying more than we meant to - but apparently that answer wasn't satisfactory. She continued to lurk creepily as we perused, each of us in our own sections. But then, I made an egregious error. I OPENED A BOOK. After looking on the back cover for a description of an environmental book, I wanted to see what the writing quality was like... so I flipped open to a random page. The woman working was immediately in my face, closing the book while it was still in my hands. "Oh no honey, you don't want to do that. You see how that bends the pages back? Then it's not like new anymore and I can't sell it. Were you planning on buying this book?" I was stunned, as were my friends, and managed to stammer that I wasn't sure. "Well, if you look on the back cover, it usually has a pretty good description of what's inside." REALLY? Well, thank you Captain Obvious. I didn't even know what to say to that. It was like I never picked up a book before in my life. I just beelined back to the environmental shelf and put the book away, and began heading for the door, hoping my friends would follow suit. Gwen was flipping through an herb cookbook, and the woman went immediately over to her and did the exact same thing: "Did you hear what I just told that other girl? You don't need to open the book." Please make note, this cookbook was hardcover. And then: "Is this in your price range?" Gwen didn't know how to respond. It's not like she went into the store thinking "hey, I need an herb cookbook for under $15." Gwen just put the book on the shelf and we walked out. It wasn't until I was leaving that I noticed how most of the shelves were practically empty - the books were all turned to face cover-out, instead of spine-out, so they wouldn't look so barren. I really wanted to go back into the store and tell the woman what I thought about the whole ordeal, but didn't know how to do so in a way that wouldn't be blatantly rude.
Later, when relating this to another college friend, Anna, who lives in Roanoke, she shared the exact same experience! Only, to make matters worse, not only did Anna open a book, she also had the audacity to sit down in one of the chairs to look through it in further detail. The woman told her not to do that - that if she wanted to just sit and read, she should go to Barnes & Noble. (It might be helpful to note here that Anna was 8 months pregnant at the time, so sitting in one of the provided chairs seemed like a very good idea).
Anyway, I was just really disappointed in the downfall of my favorite bookstore. I'm still toying with the idea of writing a letter, but I'm not sure. If letters follow the same rules as books, it might never be opened. After all, all you need to know can be found on the outside, right?
Goodbye, Cantos.
Last weekend, that all changed (insert dramatic music here).
Upon entering the store with some friends, the woman working accosted us immediately. "Are you looking for yourself or doing some Christmas shopping?" We assured her that we were just browsing - which, for most of us, means looking around and then buying more than we meant to - but apparently that answer wasn't satisfactory. She continued to lurk creepily as we perused, each of us in our own sections. But then, I made an egregious error. I OPENED A BOOK. After looking on the back cover for a description of an environmental book, I wanted to see what the writing quality was like... so I flipped open to a random page. The woman working was immediately in my face, closing the book while it was still in my hands. "Oh no honey, you don't want to do that. You see how that bends the pages back? Then it's not like new anymore and I can't sell it. Were you planning on buying this book?" I was stunned, as were my friends, and managed to stammer that I wasn't sure. "Well, if you look on the back cover, it usually has a pretty good description of what's inside." REALLY? Well, thank you Captain Obvious. I didn't even know what to say to that. It was like I never picked up a book before in my life. I just beelined back to the environmental shelf and put the book away, and began heading for the door, hoping my friends would follow suit. Gwen was flipping through an herb cookbook, and the woman went immediately over to her and did the exact same thing: "Did you hear what I just told that other girl? You don't need to open the book." Please make note, this cookbook was hardcover. And then: "Is this in your price range?" Gwen didn't know how to respond. It's not like she went into the store thinking "hey, I need an herb cookbook for under $15." Gwen just put the book on the shelf and we walked out. It wasn't until I was leaving that I noticed how most of the shelves were practically empty - the books were all turned to face cover-out, instead of spine-out, so they wouldn't look so barren. I really wanted to go back into the store and tell the woman what I thought about the whole ordeal, but didn't know how to do so in a way that wouldn't be blatantly rude.
Later, when relating this to another college friend, Anna, who lives in Roanoke, she shared the exact same experience! Only, to make matters worse, not only did Anna open a book, she also had the audacity to sit down in one of the chairs to look through it in further detail. The woman told her not to do that - that if she wanted to just sit and read, she should go to Barnes & Noble. (It might be helpful to note here that Anna was 8 months pregnant at the time, so sitting in one of the provided chairs seemed like a very good idea).
Anyway, I was just really disappointed in the downfall of my favorite bookstore. I'm still toying with the idea of writing a letter, but I'm not sure. If letters follow the same rules as books, it might never be opened. After all, all you need to know can be found on the outside, right?
Goodbye, Cantos.
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