ps – my captcha word is ignorant! I’m offended!

Among WASPs haggling is generally seen as uncouth (there seems to be an exception made for buying and selling automobiles for some reason I don’t understand). But many people from other cultures (Southern European, traditional Jewish, and many Middle Eastern cultures) see haggling as part of the fun of shopping. It isn’t some pathological disease.

WE. ARE. NOT. A. BABYSITTING. SERVICE.

Whatever comes to your mind when reading those words, I can tell you right now that the sheer rudeness and lack of awareness was much, much worse than you can imagine.

Guy In A Sort Of A Hippie Shirt In A Scuzzy Book Store Like The One At Cass And I-94 In A Neighborhood In Cleveland That Reminded Me Of Detroit’s Cass Corridor Except Without A University: “Welcome to 69th Street book store. Books are organized by category.”

[I look at books for a while, he talks to customers. A woman complains that she couldn't get anyone to answer the phone. He says his hours are M-F 1 to 4. She tries to purchase some books but he has no change whatsoever. He suggests he write out a "You Owe Me" since she only has a twenty to buy two or four dollars worth of books. It is not clear whether she leaves with books or not. A few minutes pass.]

Me: Your hours are 1-4?
Him: Yes.
Me: Those are short hours.
Him: Shut up.
Me: [some kind of small talk that I forget]
Him (interrupting): You’re talking to yourself again.
Me: I… did I offend you somehow?
Him: That’s one way of putting it.
Me: But what did –
Him: I don’t have to justify anything. Why don’t you get the fuck out of my store? Go on, get the fuck out right now!

[I get the fuck out of his store and walk back to a part of Cleveland that is not like the Cass Corridor without a university]

The Two Dollar Rare Book Store is located at 6820 Euclid Avenue in Midtown Cleveland and is open M-F 1-4pm. Loft living is available in the building.

chumofchance – if you’re talking about green apple, I have to say I’ve seen some pretty goofy stuff happen in there, customer-wise. Honestly, Green Apple is about the only thing that keeps me in that ridiculous neighborhood. I like talking with the guy that roots through the trash for the remainder magazines.

If it’s not GA, then i apologize for for advertising for your competition. Anyway, thanks for being open late.

(Yes, we’re talking about you, Peter)

For those who don’t know, here’s a sample

Also: re: Aspidistra Books on Clark… I distinctly remember being afraid to shop there very often, but I can’t recall any specific reason why.

The Cumaean Sibyl offered to Tarquinius nine books of these prophecies; and as the king declined to purchase them, owing to the exorbitant price she demanded, she burned three and offered the remaining six to Tarquinius at the same stiff price, which he again refused, whereupon she burned three more and repeated her offer. Tarquinius then relented and purchased the last three at the full original price and had them preserved in a vault beneath the Capitoline temple of Jupiter.

Any fucker can grow teeth but few can write books.

I doubt he sold them that book, but it made me chuckle.

I worked for him.

A little while later he made the charts #1 UK, #11 US, with ” You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Spin_Me_Round_(Like_a_Record)

Often times on not receiving a discount (even when I’m nice about it) they will plop down a massive pile of books on the floor and walk out. One time a woman did not receive a discount so she walked behind the counter and started yelling and demanding money off, then proceeded to knock over objects in the store. Then she called later and demanded an apology AND store credit for ‘rude treatment’. The best incident was when a man very carefully insinuated a book had mold on it (it didn’t), then asked for the discount in a high whining voice, almost like he was going to cry. When he did not get one he went over to his wife and started yelling at her to leave, then grabbed her cane and started waving it over her head like he was going to beat her with it. THEN, they bought fifty dollars worth of books, called me immature, and demanded I thank them for their purchase.

‘whew’. Felt good to get that off my chest. From a bookseller point of view giving a discount is like negotiating with terrorists. Sure, sometimes it makes sense but it’s still the bad guys winning.

“bathrobe philosopher chess prodigy?” I bet I know which store that is. ha ha ha.

I’m a bookseller too. Giving a discount is not like negotiating with terrorists. Sometimes it’s like unloading dead stock at a smaller profit. If someone is about to buy a book in shitty condition that’s been unsold for five years, I discount it 10 percent before they even ask. It’s of no use to me on the shelf. Then they’re super grateful, even though they sometimes only end up getting a dollar or so off the price. Sometimes they buy a second book. Hell, a lot of those books come in as trade. So you didn’t even pay cash for them. “terrorism” is a bit strong.

But I can Curmudgeon with the best of them when necessary. Like when a guy asked me “who wrote Dante’s Inferno”. That was fun.