How 'bout just plain Dick?

[Acidrain666]

Just a bit of background...years ago, I worked in a bookstore that I really loved. It would've been perfect...if not for the damn sucky customers!! Here's one of my favorite "Did that just happen?" moments:

ME:
IM: Idiot Man

I'm working the information counter, when this gem of guy sauntered up to the desk.

ME: What can I help you find?
IM: (looking down his nose) Yes, I'm looking for books by Charles Dickenson.

ME: Ok. I'm not familiar with that author, would that be fiction or non-fiction?
IM: (snorts) Uh, FICTION.

ME: Ok...(looks up every resource in the computer we have, coming up with nothing) Sorry, having a bit of trouble, what type of fiction does he write?
IM: (stares at me for a minute) You honestly don't know DICKENSON???

ME: (feeling of dread overwhelms me) You don't mean Emily Dickenson, do you? You know, poetry?
IM: Oh my god! I can't believe YOU work at a bookstore!! I'm looking for CHARLES DICKENSON!! You know, he wrote classics!!

ME: Sir, do you mean Charles DICKENS???
IM: You really are an idiot, aren't you? DICKENSON!!! (practically yelling at this point) You know, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol!!! DICKENSON!!!!

ME: (so very done arguing with this jackhole!) Please follow me, sir.
IM: (ranting about how I'm retarded and don't know what I'm talking about)

ME: (Calmly leading him to the Lit. and Fiction section, stop right in front of all the books by Charles DICKENS) There you are sir. (walks away quickly)
IM: Excuse me...bu....(very quickly falls into an embarrassed silence)

ME:

[Boozy]

I love the rare situations where the SC actually sees the error of their ways.

[Despina83]

Man, what a prick. How vile do you have to be to call an employee an idiot? Ugh.

[BookstoreEscapee]

those crack me up

never gotten that particular one but have gotten lots of mispronunciations of what should be familiar names...

a-rist-o-FAN-eez, anyone?

[Despina83]

You know, for some reason I always assumed that customers at bookstores would be decent human beings, intellectual, etc. and it'd be the best place to work without having to deal with asshats. I guess I was wrong .

[BookstoreEscapee]

You know, for some reason I always assumed that customers at bookstores would be decent human beings, intellectual, etc. and it'd be the best place to work without having to deal with asshats. I guess I was wrong .

yes, you are wrong.

actually sometimes that's the case but there's always the people who swarm in at 5:03 pm for the latest Oprah book that we have 3 copies of and which are on hold for the people who called at 5:01, who need something for their kid's book report tomorrow and junior is not even with them (and this is returnable if the teacher doesn't approve, right?), who know nothing except that it has a blue cover and the title starts with The, who have 30 titles and expect you to track them all down while they lean on the counter sipping their venticafemochalattechino and talking on the phone and then leave them all in a pile on the floor when they're done.....

why, no, i'm not bitter at all...

[TruthHurts]

Back when I worked in the used bookstore I had this one asshat who berated me for pronouncing Louis L'Amour the proper way. Because "everyone knows it's pronounced Lou-is not Lou-ee" Unfortunately I had no way to prove it to him or put him in his place.

[XCashier]

never gotten that particular one but have gotten lots of mispronunciations of what should be familiar names...

"Ya got any books by Alexander Dumbass?"

[Acidrain666]

How about when people ask for Alexander Dumas (and pronounce it Dumbass) That one cracks me up every time

[BookstoreEscapee]

"Ya got any books by Alexander Dumbass?"

it's Alexan-dree Dumbass...get it right!

(I love The Shawshank Redemption)

[Foxglove8778]

IM: Excuse me...bu....(very quickly falls into an embarrassed silence)

nice that he had the intellect to be ashamed, too bad he couldn't apologize with appropriate abject humility.

"your embarrssment is like candy for my brain"

[Tito]

Man, what a prick. How vile do you have to be to call an employee an idiot? Ugh.

At least he got what he had coming to him. I love it when jerks like him are proven wrong.

[aurelemsrealm]

Man, what a prick. How vile do you have to be to call an employee an idiot? Ugh.

When you consider the mentality of the average sucky customer..... rather low caliber class of people.

[TNT]

Some years ago, I worked in a satellite TV call center. It was as unpleasant as you might imagine. Then I got offered a job working in the call center for a book club. "What could be more perfect?" I said to myself and anyone else who would listen. "A job where I'm surrounded by books... talking on the phone all day with the book-reading, book-buying, book-loving public... and they're going to pay me to do it! "

That may well have been my most naive moment in a life filled with naive moments.

[Sliceanddice]

i was almost an Bookstore SC once, Im ashamed to say..

Me- 'hmmmmm i want <book>' *looks in supposedly the right section. Nope. Goes the computer area. Types in name of another book by same author because i cant ever spell her last name right. Nope doesnt show up.* Oh come on you got to be kidding me! The have to have at least have record of that book! It won an award.
Bookstore worker- Hi can help you?
Me- Yeah im looking for a book, but i can't spell the authors name, and you aren't even showing this book exist!*points to the screen*
BW- *Looks at screen and moves over and does a few cuts* Yeah our systems weird.
Me- but thats the title
BW- Yeah but our system doesnt like the work 'of', Did you want <author>?
Me-.... yes...
BW- Well we have 7 books by here all of them should be in <section>
Me- oh *points to the screen* thats the one im looking for!!
BW- oh that one should be in young adults.
Me- ... i should have know that... sorry...