Let the Political Complaints Begin...

[Hon'ya-chan]

Man, the only folks that bother to turn books around so that the back cover is facing out are Mangas. Stupid kids.

One of my co-irkers commented once about cultural disrespect in relation to this. Something about how kids embrace Japanese Culture, yet can't even put the books back properly.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Once someone complained that we alway put Ann Coulter's books on the bottom shelves of New Books. My response? "Well sir, as you might have noticed, the new books are alphabetized by title. As long as she keeps writing books with titles like Slander and Treason, then she's going to be on the bottom. Maybe you should e-mail her and tell her to write a book called Abomination or something."

Tell them to go to B&N...we do 'em by author. She's right at the top.

We're also biased...we're liberals...no, we're conservatives...we censored that John Kerry Swiftboat book...we also censored Mark Levin's book on the Supreme Court (read it, interesting book, can't for the life of me remember the title)...oh, wait, no...the publisher didn't print enough and NO ONE HAD IT IN STOCK!!! When the John Kerry book came out we actually kept a copy of the newspaper article explaining why it was so damn hard to get at the info desk to give to the paranoid SCs who refused to believe that we really couldn't get it.

I love (ha.) the people who turn books around. Really? You really have nothing better to do with your time? Really? Here, let me find you a Highlights for Children or something....

It's pretty easy. Republican propganda on the right, democratic propoganda on the left. Then explain that you coded it for easy access for everyone.

Hehe, that's something I would do. Or alternate them, checkerboard style. But then someone would complain that they started in the top left corner with one or the other. You can't win.

but I just like to trail behind them and flip them back in front of them.

I like your style. That's what I would do, too. Sadly, I never caught anyone actually doing it.

[simplyanother]

Maybe put the books on a table that turns....
Just spin it...

[donruss]

ah, I like to call these people the "social crusaders". They'll come into my video store and flip over every title that they personally do not agree with. It's typically middle-aged women and they will go up and down ever isle and flip over every movie with a "sexy" cover or a scary one. The big pain recently was when Golden Compass came out. We had people whining and hiding the movies every shift.
My boss will get really irritated with them and tell them to knock it off, but I just like to trail behind them and flip them back in front of them.

If they are that interested in flipping titles, hand them an application. Then tell them either fill one out, rent/purchase a video, or GTFU!!!

[ArcticChicken]

I always put them back.

I do that with all the books. I also rearrange them in the proper order for the series. Except Sin City. Too many children in that part of the store, and I don't care to inflict neurotic parent on the poor staff.

[marasbaras]

I'm a fairly political person .. feel strongly about the issues. But, I have a life. Going into a store and turning books around because you don't like them?

LOSERS!

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Hey, be thankful they're not defacing the books themselves, which is what often happens to library books on sensitive subjects. When I was growing up, the local small town library had a few books on neo-paganism, reincarnation, that kind of stuff. Every one of the books would end up terribly defaced within a few weeks of going on the shelves. Pages would be torn out, biblical passages condemning withcraft would be written in the margins in ink, stuff like that.


No matter what your political/religious/social views, if you can't act like an adult then you don't deserve to be treated like one.

[Snowbird]

Grandma led a crusade to get the theatre to change the advertisement to "The Hoo-Ha Monologues".

So... how exactly would that help? Children passing by the sign in cars aren't going to ask what a Hoo-Ha is? I've got to stop there, I feel a rant building up something powerful. Soooo stupid.

There was a book prominently displayed on multiple high traffic spots in my store once, all according to corporate planograms. It had a very popular book series art on it, one that was seen as highly controversial to some. Every day I would go onto the floor to see every single book on every single display being turned around, not to mention complaints but at least those I could swat on the nose with a proverbial rolled up newspaper. Why? The book in question actually agreed with their mindset, and simply used the artwork to get people's attention. It's called reading, people! You'd think in a bookstore they would get that.

[cinema guy]

A small community (re: amateur) theatre was staging a production of The Vagina Monologues. ... But, some old lady was driving her grandkid around, and she saw the billboard for the play. "Granma, what's a vagina?"

Sooo, the kids obviously knew what a monologue is.

Methinks grandma is more sensitive than the kids.

[Gurndigarn]

So... how exactly would that help? Children passing by the sign in cars aren't going to ask what a Hoo-Ha is?

What's worse, she can't explain to a girl what a vagina is?

And if the child was a boy, then you have a fairly easy way to get the start of the sex talks out of the way.

[mattm04]

If you had a table with only pro Obama/anti McCain books and other titles were hidden way in the back under a sheet then it would be a valid complaint. This guy was just a moron.

[crazylegs]

Hehe, that's something I would do. Or alternate them, checkerboard style. But then someone would complain that they started in the top left corner with one or the other. You can't win.

I'm thinking put them into an industrial size tumble dryer and let it loose for ten mins, voila! Independant display (you fetch it out youself from the drum)!

[karath]

I'm thinking put them into an industrial size tumble dryer and let it loose for ten mins, voila! Independant display (you fetch it out youself from the drum)!

I would LOVE to see how people would react to that!

[Evil Queen]

Maybe put the books on a table that turns....
Just spin it...

You spin me right round, baby
Right round like a record, baby
Right round round round

[Hon'ya-chan]

Hehe, that's something I would do. Or alternate them, checkerboard style. But then someone would complain that they started in the top left corner with one or the other. You can't win.

One bookseller at another store got clever and started to rotate the books around and when inquired, he cited the Equal time rule and said it was amended to include bookstores.

Of course, the unintended consequence was that we got some of the customers and we were scolded for not complying with the act, plus the local Democrat office called us up and asked when did the rule change as well, seeing they were getting inquiries and complaints as well.